StarKiller - Clone Subject 1138: A New Beginning
by Theredstring
Summary: This story could be considered a continuation of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II. Juno Eclipse and Master Rham Kota have urged Starkiller, the clone, to go into hiding and change his name. He ends up staying on Dantooine following the lead of the Force. Little did he realize, he would meet an orphaned teen, who would provide the answers he needed to fulfill his ultimate destiny.
1. Severed Bonds

**Prologue**

The man topped a hill dressed in the familiar garb of a Dantooine farmer with the hood of his cloak drawn up over his head. His age could not be determined by his stature or his gait. He stopped at the crest and gazed out at the land below. His pride began to swell as he realized that the planting of his crops also meant that he himself had begun to establish roots for himself.

It had been three standard years since Juno Eclipse and Jedi Master Rahm Kota had encouraged Starkiller to hide himself from the forces of the Empire and the Alliance, as well. At Juno's insistence, Starkiller had come to take on the name and identity of Galen Marek, Darth Vader's secret apprentice who was to help Vader topple Darth Sidious and rule the empire. Through a drastic turn of events, Starkiller turned against his former Sith Master and helped to capture Darth Vader. He and Juno had escorted Vader to Dantooine for trial. Vader's escape came as no surprise. Juno and Master Kota agreed that Dantooine would be the last planet that Vader would look for his former apprentice.

When Juno suggested that he assume Marek's name and identity, Starkiller was opposed to the idea. He struggled to form his own identity and establish his humanity apart from his past and the reality of being Clone Subject 1138 of the true "Galen Marek." The very thought of taking on that persona was almost more than he could bear, yet his experience on Dagobah with Yoda flooded his mind and heart. It was a vision of seeing himself dressed in Jedi robes with light sabers in hand and then eventually seeing Darth Vader hiring Boba Fett to track him down which began his journey away from the Dark Side. This vision ended with Starkiller seeing Juno attacked and wounded. Betrayal and seeing the love of his life wounded had a profound effect on Starkiller.

He had struggled with the full meaning of that vision ever since. "Why would he see himself dressed in Jedi robes? Why did he see vestiges of himself? Were Yoda and the Force trying to tell him that Starkiller, the clone, and Galen Marek were truly one and the same? Could it be that Galen Marek's past could merge with Starkiller's present and future to become unified as a total life in the Force?" These questions and many others plagued him. Juno also had argued that he could no longer refer to himself as Starkiller due to his tie with Vader and its semblance of the Dark Side. So it was that Starkiller came to accept his new identity as Galen Marek.

Over the past three standard years, Juno had supplied him with holo-records and files containing Marek's past which she had accessed through old connections that she maintained in the Empire. Through his ongoing secret contact with Juno, Starkiller had in fact not only taken on the persona of Galen Marek, but had actually become Galen Marek.

* * *

**Chapter** **1**

**Severed Bonds**

Order 66...such a short order but one that came from the Emperor himself and changed the galaxy forever. Order 66 meant the annihilation of the Jedi. It also meant the separation of families such as the Chatoks. The Chatoks, Jedi Knight Silanaeus Chatok, a Zabrak, his wife Jedi Knight Bez Chatok, a human and their son, Silas, who they were just discovering was a Force sensitive when the order was given, were forced to flee Iridia and go their separate ways for the safety of them all. It was a very difficult parting, but a necessary one. Silanaeus found himself on Dantooine and learned how to blend in by hiding among the farmers.

Bez and Silas made their way to Iridonia to make a new life for themselves...without Silanaeus. Bez felt the peace of the Force wash over her in the choice of Iridonia, but that did not change her broken heart. She and Silas would be separated from her husband and the father of their son indefinitely. Although the transition was immensely complicated, it was possible. She had learned how to face difficult situations with rugged determination through her marriage to a Zabrak, a species known for their single-minded determination and strong self assuredness.

Silas sat cross legged in the center of his room in deep meditation. It was a simple room. There were few decorations, but the walls were a light red that helped to calm him down. There was also a bed with a small wooden table. The room also had a small window that let sunlight stream in. It was just enough for him. As his room became brighter, he could hear a voice calling out his name. Silas opened his eyes and arose from his spot knowing it was his mother calling for him.

Bez Chatok was not a motherly figure. She was a very tall woman with broad shoulders and she rarely smiled. However, were someone to make her happy, they were to know. She had long hair that she always had pulled back from her face. Her face itself was generally fierce, as if she was always ready for a fight. That was a good thing, since she was Silas's master.

Silas examined his room then walked to his dresser and pulled out a light beige tunic, black loose fitting pants, and a grey over coat and most importantly his paired light saber which he easily concealed under his coat.

Bez called again from the main part of the house, "Silas! I'm waiting!"

Her voice was fierce which meant that she was probably waiting to show him something new for training and Silas didn't want to keep her waiting. But, even more, he wanted to know what she was so excited about.

"I'm on my way," he called back. Within mere seconds, he was standing before her. "Sorry master," he apologized.

As she saw Silas look at her, his eyes somewhat sad, she flashed back to the day that Silanaeus had left for Dantooine. Their foreheads pressed against each other, an odd hotness pinching the back of her eyes, and a lump closing her throat. What her son said broke her out of her memory, and she nodded.

"That's more like it," she replied curtly.

Through this whole fiasco, her expression had never changed. After being married to a Zabrak for ten-odd years, she'd learned to hide her emotions so well.

"Anything to please you, mom," he said giving her a half-hearted wink.

"Ahem," she coughed, lifting an eyebrow. "I'm going to pretend that you didn't just call me something other than master, padawan."

She took a simple silver cylinder from her robes.

"We're going to work on defensive maneuvers today. You are severely lacking and if you ever are attacked, the opponent won't always wait for you to make the first move, I'm afraid."

Even as Bez spoke, the corner of her mouth tipped up into a smile- one of those that only Silas could make her give. Silas drew his light sabers.

"Yes, Master," he answered softly.

She nudged him, walking past him. "Cheer up, kid. I won't bite."

She turned and ignited her lightsaber, so that the bright blue beam lit up the room. Almost in sync with her, Silas ignited his lightsaber, also causing the room to be lit with a dark blue and yellow light. Bez closed her eyes and breathed and, with her eyes still closed, leapt at Silas, without any introduction. Reaching out with the Force, he made a very accurate prediction of where she was striking and easily parried her strike and knocked her back with a gentle Force push. She hardly lost her balance and came up behind him, reaching an arm around his neck, while knocking his saber out of his hands. He was incapacitated.

"Rule number one of defense, never lose track of your opponent and never, ever, get cocky." As she said these words, she remembered a similar moment with her husband and released her son, gesturing to his lightsaber.

"Again," she commanded.

Silas reached out with the Force and pulled his sabers back into his hands, took a quick deep breath to calm himself, then took a defensive stance. They continued battling until Silas was both mentally and physically exhausted. His mother disarmed him again and again, while bombarding him with lessons and rules. He couldn't win, it seemed, and his Zabrak blood started heating with frustration, as they set up once again for another round. Silas could sense his mother's skepticism through the Force and he now was determined to prove her wrong. She once again leapt at him, going for the same attack she had previously been using by going for his legs, but she too was exhausted and she struck too low. Without hesitation, he parried her strike and had her on the ground, disarmed with the point of the blade mere inches from her throat. Her eyes were impressed and her mouth was smiling cockily.

"Don't move your neck," she warned, "or you'll decapitate yourself."

Sure enough, Silas could feel the heat of her blade against the back of his neck.

"Rule 20: Never leave the disarmed weapon within distance for reaching out with the Force or it may be the last thing you ever do." She pressed the button on her hilt and the blade disappeared. "Come on, kid, lemme up," she said gruffly.

Silas deactivated his sabers and gave his Master some room to stand. She stood and gave her son a rare and very special look: she was proud. "Very good, Silas. You can have the rest of the day to yourself." She was absently running her finger over her saber hilt and something engraved on the silver shaft.

As she turned from her son, scattered and seemingly unrelated images of welding, crystals and trees flashed before her eyes and she looked down at the engraved heart with an 'S' on the inside, carved there so she'd never forget. As if she could. Silas could tell she was remembering his dad and remained silent. She turned to him again and was about to say something, but then she looked at her son and suddenly he was a foot taller and ten years older. It was her husband in the flesh.

"You are dismissed, Silas," she said softly, keeping the emotion out of her voice.

"Yes, Master," he said quietly and then walked outside without another word.

As soon as she knew he was out of earshot, Bez crouched and hugged her knees to her chest. She didn't cry. She never cried. She just closed her eyes and waited. She anticipated for that moment when she would open her eyes and Silaneas would be there to help her up, but an hour later, when she did, he wasn't there.

Silas leaned against the wall, crossed his arms and closed his eyes. There was no sound from the training room. In the past few months, Silas had noticed the prominent tiredness in his mother's eyes and her drooped shoulders. She was missing his father now more than ever, as he grew ever older and looked more like him. It hurt him to see her wince when she looked at him. As Silas reached out to her with the Force, Bez immediately put a Force barrier up to keep him out.

"I said, you were dismissed, Silas," she called to him. It was neither an order nor a request, but Silas knew by the hardness in her voice, he was not who she needed.

"Sorry," he called back gently.

He heard his mother sigh and mutter to herself. He knew she was talking to his father. She had since he was small and it never ceased to break his heart to hear her quiet, one-sided conversations with him. The Empire had torn apart his family and broken his mother's heart. The first word that came to his thoughts when he heard Empire was "blood-lust". Silas took a deep breath, reminding himself that hatred lead to the Dark Side. He took one last look at the shut door leading to the room where his mother still spoke into the air and walked back to his room. When he arrived, he took his seat in the center of the room and resumed his meditation.


	2. Old Memories, Impassioned Love

**Chapter 2**

**Old Memories, Impassioned Love**

It was the early morning hours of Dantooine. The two moons of the planet had slowly faded, as the morning sun began to rise. The dew was still fresh on the ground where the footprints of the field's owner could be seen venturing from the farmhouse out to the main field. This was what the locals on Dantooine called "The Marek place." Galen Marek stood in the field of kilba greens matured and ready for harvest. He bent down on one knee to examine the leaves of the green plant. He recalled planting the seeds which had now sprouted to a full-grown plant. It was in this very same field that Marek saw Master Rham Kota for the last time. Vader had been captured and Rham Kota and Juno Eclipse stood facing Marek, who at that time referred to himself as "Starkiller."

"Well boy, I've got some news you really won't want to hear," Kota said.

Starkiller's expression stayed constant, although internally confused and dreading the news Kota was about to deliver.

"What is it? Just give it to me straight," Starkiller replied.

"Even though at one time you swore your allegiance to the Rebellion, you aren't trusted by the its leaders and in particular Bail Organa," he answered. "To make matters worse the Imperials would try to kill you every chance they've got and you'll never see the end of bounty hunters."

Starkiller's eyes remained fixed on Kota for a time and then suddenly dropped to the ground where he stood.

After a period of contemplation, Starkiller asked, "So, where does this leave me, Kota? I am not wanted by anyone."

"I would suggest you keep a low profile until the war blows over or until I can convince the Alliance leaders that you can be trusted," Kota answered.

Starkiller felt as though someone had stabbed a shoto into his back. He had gone above and beyond to prove his loyalty to the Rebel Alliance. _How could they not trust me after all I have done for them_, he thought to himself. _There wouldn't be a rebellion had Galen Marek not started it._

"Do you think there is a chance that you can change the minds of those who distrust me?"

"Possibly, but only time and the will of the Force will present the right moment," Kota said.

Juno Eclipse stood silent listening to the exchange between Rahm Kota and Starkiller. She could sense the heaviness of Starkiller's tone, as he asked Kota the questions. She remembered fondly the "actual" Galen Marek, who was passionate about so many things. Starkiller had some of the traits of Galen, but not all of them. Her heart sank as she realized that he really felt isolated and alone, yet there was nothing at present she could do to resolve this issue.

Starkiller's pleading eyes shifted from Kota to her. She could tell by the look in his eyes that he was searching for answers from her. She was at a loss. What could she possibly say to ease his mind and heart?

Finally, she spoke. "Starkiller, Master Kota is right. With the leaders of the Alliance not trusting you and the Imperials wanting you to meet your end, you have to remain hidden...to blend in...Become virtually invisible. If you won't do it for yourself, please do it for me."

Starkiller looked away again toward the ground. His mind was racing with thoughts...his love for Juno, his memory of past feats as a Jedi, his former life as an apprentice to Lord Vader. A moment of clarity struck him. Starkiller realized it was the Force leading him. An overwhelming sense of destiny calmed his mind. He did not know what the future would hold for him, but he knew his destiny was definitely following the suggestions of Kota and Juno. Starkiller looked up and over to Kota, who he could remember respecting immensely at one time and then to Juno Eclipse, who he loved from the depths of his soul. His eyes, as always, were intense and his expression showed little to no emotion.

At last, Starkiller spoke. "It will be as you both have spoken and as the Force has guided me to this moment."

Relief spread across both Kota's and Juno's faces, as they heard him speak the words. Both had expected greater resistance from the Jedi and former Sith.

"Very well," said Kota, "that settles that issue. We still have one other that will be even more difficult for you, boy."

Unbelievably, Starkiller's face hardened even more than before.

"There is the matter of your name...your identity," said Kota.

Juno picked up, as if they had rehearsed this conversation many times prior to this moment.

"You can't keep using the name 'Starkiller'...we have no way of knowing who knows that name or who has even heard it before, whether they be Imperial or Alliance," said Juno.

"And.." replied Starkiller.

"Although you are the clone of Galen Marek, in essence you are 'Galen Marek'," said Juno.

Starkiller felt his tension and anger rising. He knew where this conversation was headed and did his best to maintain his composure.

"If you are suggesting that I call myself, 'Galen Marek', you can stop now," he said sternly. "Galen Marek is dead and I am nothing more than his clone...no more - no less."

His comment shot a laser through Juno's heart. Oh how she wished this were not so. After regaining her composure, Juno continued to sell their idea to him.

"Fewer will know the name 'Galen Marek'. It will be safer for you. Although you do not have all of Galen Marek's memories, you do have some and you continue to have more and more every day. You have a deep love for me and you still respect Galen's Master, Master Kota," Juno insisted.

Starkiller had a moment of deep anger, then again, as before the Force began to soothe his rage and bring clarity to his mind. Staring at Juno, then back to Kota, he somewhat reservedly replied, "I will do as the Force leads and as you have suggested. It would not be my first choice or any choice for that matter, but I feel compelled by the Force to obey. It will be as you have said."

From his kneeling position, Galen stood pushing these memories from his mind. He had made incredible progress in finding his way. He thought of Juno Eclipse often, yet they had little contact. As much as he desired to see and ultimately be with her, Marek also wanted to protect her from those who would go to any extreme to use her to find him. He had become a liability to both the Alliance and the Empire. She had secretly sent information to him through various smugglers to help him in his quest to understand the man, who was the source of his being.

Over considerable time, Marek had come to accept that there was little difference between a clone and its source. He remained in seclusion, except for his droid, PROXY, who he had wiped of his former programming and re-imaged to recognize him as Galen Marek, the Dantooine farmer. He allowed PROXY to keep some of his training protocols, so that if he ever needed them again, with a voice command they would become available to him. In order to bury his past, as both a Jedi and a Sith Apprentice and Assassin, Marek had gone to great lengths to secure his twin lightsabers and Jedi robes in a durasteel box that could only be opened by himself or another Force-wielder. He had buried that case in the very field in which he was standing. To him, this seemed the only appropriate place to pack away his former life.

Marek began the trek back to his humble farmstead. He was in the main field, directly north of his home. He had acquired two other tracks of land to the east and west. He reserved those fields for yot beans; however it was the wrong season for planting the beans. Those two fields laid as barren as his heart. He yearned to be back with Juno. He did his best to keep those feelings in check, knowing that this was just not a possibility and he did not want to jeopardize her safety. As he reached the door to his home, PROXY, met him.

"Welcome back, Master. I take it that your personal time went well?"

"As well as one could expect...what's for breakfast?" Marek retorted.

"That is quite obvious, Master."

"I believe I asked you a direct question," Marek replied somewhat irritated. "What's for breakfast? When I updated your programming, PROXY, I don't remember adding that I needed your opinions."

"Sorry, Master."

Marek walked further into the small kitchen and saw his table carved from blba wood, which was native to Dantooine along with four chairs. The table was set for one. His heart yearned for a second place setting that would be for Juno. He once again pushed aside the emotions he was feeling and looked back at his droid PROXY. He was his only friend and companion these days.

"So, I see you have at least set the table for me," Marek said.

PROXY walked over to the counter and picked up a fresh cup of caf, then walked to his master's side and handed the cup to him.

"Yes, Master."

"Ooh nice and strong, just the way I like it. Remind me to thank your programmer," Marek said, trying to take the edge off his earlier mood. Marek knew that PROXY could not sense his frustration level, yet he felt compelled to treat Proxy with the respect he was due, considering that he was his only 'friend'.

"Master, you might want to look in a mirror and say thank you, you are my programmer, and after all," he said and then added," Now is there anything else I can do for you, Master?"

"Yeah, there is...we have to get started on harvesting that crop of kilba, if we don't want some of it to go bad, like the last batch."

"Master, may I suggest something?"

"And what would that be?" Marek replied, sensing what was coming.

He had worked, almost round the clock, to get the kilba greens harvested last season. He ended up exhausted and almost sick. He knew that the part of the crop that spoiled was his fault. PROXY had been after him ever since, trying to get him to find help...a hired hand. Marek's reply was always the same, "I can't have anyone else here working for me. I have to do this alone." That answer never satisfied the ever persistent droid.

"I believe it would be wise to hire someone to help you, that way you won't strain yourself as hard as you did the last harvest," he said quietly, expecting the storm of rage that was about to come from his Master.

"Proxy, how many times must we go through this?" Marek barked at his droid. "I just can't have someone else poking their nose around here."

"Master, you remember what happened last harvest."

"I am well aware what happened last harvest ... so is my credit account," Marek said rather angrily.

"Master, I refuse to have another rerun of last year and, as you remember, you programmed me to look out for your well-being."

This was more than Marek could take. After the morning's return through his memories of Kota and Juno, he was unable to contain his frustration. He shoved his chair back away from the table and focused his eyes to a bead at PROXY's photoreceptors.

"Alright, PROXY ... enough! If you think I need help, then do me a favor and go find help for me. Just leave me out of it. If anything happens out of the ordinary, then I hold you personally responsible and will wipe your programming again and this time, you will become a droid that will be responsible for cleaning all the refreshers on this planet. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Master."

With that, Marek stormed out of the farmhouse to bring his emotions back under control and to center his mind. Ultimately, he knew PROXY was right. He was merely trying to protect all of them...PROXY, Juno, Kota and himself. The stress and anxiety of that responsibility was overwhelming him and he knew it. Something had to change. What that would be, he did not know. He hoped the Force would give him a sense of serenity and calm. All he could find was a sense of sadness, loneliness and chaos. This made him even more out of sorts. Surely, he would find the answers he needed.


	3. Wounded Hearts

**Chapter 3**

**Wounded Hearts**

Silas sat meditating deeply in his room with his training lightsabers floating in front of him, completely disassembled. His meditation was interrupted by a knock on his door.

"Hey, Silas? ... I don't mean to interrupt," called a small female voice, "Master is out and I need help."

The door opened to reveal a short girl with brown hair and violet eyes.

"Sorry to intrude, but I slipped."

She opened her palms to reveal blood and stones. Upon seeing the blood, he was on his feet standing before her.

"What happened, Adilla?" Silas asked.

She looked down.

"I was training and I slipped. They sting. A lot."

She seemed embarrassed. Silas looked at her. He had a soft heart when it came to those in pain. It had always been that way. Even as a young Zabrak, he had tried to comfort anyone who was upset or crying.

"Come on, let's see if we can find you some bacta."

She nodded and walked over to him, gently curling up her fingers again over the cuts and biting back a wince. For such a tiny thing, she was tough as nails. Silas could tell that she was in pain, so he quickly walked into the main room and opened the cabinet where he and his mother kept medical supplies. She stood by, quietly, not whining or crying...simply watching.

After a few minutes of searching, he found a durasteel cylinder containing a blue liquid. He then arose and walked back to her. As he approached, he knew she had to be feeling the hurt, but had shut herself off from the pain. It always amazed him that she could do that so effectively. She immediately opened her hands and the angry red of her torn skin stood out against the dark dirt and numerous pebbles. Silas twisted the canister's top and sprayed the bacta on her wounds, speeding up the healing process and stopping the bleeding. She put down her hands and acted as if nothing had happened. Silas looked into the container and saw that he had used the last of the bacta. He made a mental note to tell Master Bez that the cylinder needed replenishing.

"Well, thanks. I'll let you get back, then." Adilla said.

"You're welcome to stay in my room until Mo- I mean Master Bez returns," He suggested.

She lifted an eyebrow and looked at him with a devious expression.

"Slow down, boy. I'm fifteen," she said with a smirk.

Silas gritted his teeth. He absolutely hated to be called boy or kid. She smiled, knowing that she had just pushed his button.

"Calm down, Silas. I was joking."

He took a deep breath, calming himself. She nudged his arm.

"You really need to get a sense of humor, kid. Sometimes, I feel like the older one."

He grinned at her. She nudged him again. Another dig at him was always a good thing.

"So, I'll go and see if I can't do something safer. I'll let you do something. Like talk to your imaginary lady friend." She winked.

Silas shot her a look that would stun a rancor. He had always wanted a girlfriend, but just had not found the right girl. He thought about his mom and dad and how happy they had been together. He remembered them acting like giddy teenagers in love, even as adults. He wanted that same type of relationship. Being a Jedi Padawan complicated things. He doubted that he would ever have what his parent's had.

"Shut it," he said. "I know."

She laughed. Touché…she had pushed him far enough.

"I'm so glad. Well, anyways, what should we do?"

"If you don't mind, I'm going to Capitol City," he said.

"Oh," she replied softly, "So, ah...what should I do then?"

"Stay here and wait for Bez to come back, then join me at the library"

She nodded and gave him a salute.

"Yessir!"

He smiled and headed to the door. She turned and looked around. With both Bez and Silas gone, Adilla thought the house seemed so empty. It wasn't often she got the place all to herself.

Silas walked around the house, where he kept his speeder bike hidden. He pulled off the tarp that covered it, took his seat, while revving it up. Adilla watched as he drove out of the secret alcove and sat waiting for Bez. She sighed. She wished she could go with Silas.

Just before Silas left he mouthed, "It'll be okay," then he took off toward Capitol City. Adilla sighed and decided to clean up the house a bit before Bez got home. Thirty minutes later, there was a knock on the door. Adilla opened it to admit her Master.

"You're back!" she announced, "Silas just headed to Capitol City."

Bez looked at her curiously.

"Why would he have gone there?"

Adilla shrugged.

"I've learned not to question either of you on your outings, Master," she said.

Bez gave a small grin to Adilla.

"Knowing my son, he probably wanted you to stay here until I came back, and then wanted you to come and join him."

Adilla cocked her head. "Really? You think? But, I'm just baggage, aren't I?"

"You're my Padawan, Adilla, not baggage" Bez said.

She shrugged. "I am to your son, Master."

Adilla looked down at her own two feet and wished she had not made that last comment. Bez could sense through the Force Adilla's embarrassment, shame and regret. She also sensed something else...something familiar...a teenage "crush". Bez remembered her own experiences when she first met Silaneas. She was younger than him. She had her eye on him for quite some time before he finally noticed her. She did everything she could to catch his eye, and more importantly his attention. Through those awkward years, she felt the same way Adilla was feeling about her offspring. Bez broke from her thoughts of Silaneas.

"You are certainly not 'baggage' to either Silas or me. I am tougher on Silas because he is my son. He still has much to learn and I am afraid of him losing his Zabrak warrior heritage and mentality. He is becoming much too human."

Adilla smiled a bit. "Well, I suppose so. Should I go meet him, then?"

"Yes, you should. Never keep a Zabrak waiting...even a half-human Zabrak."

Adilla laughed a little. "Alright then, I'll keep that in mind."

Then, she coughed a bit and ran her hands over her arms, as if she wanted to say something more, but she turned away and started to walk towards the back hall. Adilla moved quickly as she grabbed her cloak and headed out the door. As she exited the house, she was stopped dead in her tracks by a man in red and silver Mandalorian armor. Her eyes grew wide, as she realized what was happening.

She started to call out, "Master B-!" Before she could finish, the Mandalorian had his blaster to her head and a hand over her mouth.

"I would suggest you remain silent about my presence," he said soft but sharply.

She wretched herself out of his grip immediately and was Force running towards town before he knew what had happened. He cursed, but then turned his attention to his target, Bez Chatok. Silently, he crept towards the door blaster gripped tightly in his hand.

Bez was in the training room, tidying up a bit. She was murmuring softly to herself, as she so often did when she was alone, but a squeak on the floorboards alerted her.

"Adilla?" she called out. "Do you need something?"

She waited, but there was no reply. Her hand dropped to her side, and she drew her lightsaber. For a fraction of a second, she closed her eyes, taking the time to calm herself, and get into her warrior mode. It was then that the door to the training room opened and admitted a tall, burly man. One of the bounty hunters had come for Bez, at last.

Almost immediately, her saber ignited and she lunged at the man, sweeping the blade across his chest, but to no avail. Bez's lightsaber left nothing more than a burn mark on the hunter's armor.

"I don't think that saber of yours is of much use to you."

Bez furrowed her brow and tried to hide the fear from her face. She started scrolling through every defensive maneuver Silaneaus had ever taught her. Stalling seemed the only one that would work. She had to think fast.

"Why are you here?" she hissed at him.

"You really need me to explain that?" He said as he brought the stock of his blaster to his shoulder.

"I think you misunderstood me," she replied, her eyes cool. "I asked why _you_ were here."

"Because I was paid to kill you."

"Out of all the bounty hunters out there, why you?" she murmured, starting to walk around him.

She hoped that she still had a bit of her charm after years of being a mother. She was thrilled to see him shudder a little, and she smiled her best cocky smile. He could tell she was toying with him, but all he could do was hold his ground until she faltered.

"You know how lonely it can get after years and years without the person you love," she whispered to him.

She dragged a hand along his arm and saw his eyes grow wide. She'd hit it right on the head. Quickly, he had the barrel lined up with a bead on her heart. She held up her hands in surrender.

"Well, go ahead. However, do you really think that the girl who immediately popped into your head would be so happy to know that the money you used to buy her a nice and fancy dinner was made by killing me, a wife and mother?"

"You are a di'kut," he said sharply.

She glared at him. "That may be, but..."

She wrenched his arm and tried to grab the blaster from his hand. Her actions had obviously caught him off guard, since he was so easily disarmed, but she was shaking.

The bounty hunter took in a breath and smirked, "Run little Jedi, but even a pretty little thing like you can't run forever."

Bez glared at him and rested her index finger on the trigger of the blaster. She hoped that Adilla would be back soon with Silas. She couldn't hold the bounty hunter off forever.

* * *

Adilla ran as fast as she could with the Force helping. She had to reach Silas, and quickly. As she sped towards the city, she noticed a speeder bike in the trees. She didn't stop to wonder why it was there, and ran up and hopped on board. The bike was much too large for her, but she was too excited over everything to care. The tips of her feet only barely brushed the pedals.

She swallowed, but she knew she had to find Silas and they had to go back and help Bez. Her master's voice filled her mind in a scolding tone as she kicked out the stand. _Rule number one, never, ever, get cocky, Adilla. Cockiness is the last thing you will ever do._

Adilla swallowed and wiped the sweat off her brow and eased up on the brake. The inexperienced, fifteen year old sputtered forward. Then, she started again and zoomed onto the road. The Force helped her to stay steady as she sprinted along on the bike. She took turns as they came.

She was heading too fast through a turn-she was so close to Silas-when the bike slid out from under her. She rolled along the gravel road and the bike skid away from her...and off the cliff.

"No!" she screamed.

She crawled over to the cliff edge and saw the pitiful remains of the bike crumpled at the bottom. She threw herself up and started running again. She ran as fast as she could. In the way were acid pools that she leapt with stunning grace, but she was starting to falter.

Her focus was starting to waver. _What would happen to Bez if they didn't return in time_? She almost fell into another pool. Her body was starting to exhaust itself. She didn't have a lot of time left. That's when she saw the spires of Capitol City approaching. With one last burst of strength, she leapt over one last pool and sprinted towards the city and towards Silas.

Adilla finally ran through the archway of Capitol City and made her way towards the Capitol Square, ignoring the peeved looks of those passing-by. She ignored anyone she bumped into. She only had to get past the fountain in Capitol Square and there would be the library.

She pumped her arms harder and her feet slapped the pavement beneath her. She could see the tower of the library building now. She shut her eyes and sprinted ahead. _Come on, _she urged herself under her breath. _Come on_.

And then, she was in the square. There were people milling about, going to street vendors and chatting with friends. Adilla ran to the steps of the library and up the marble incline. She slammed open the door and ran to the section with holorecodings on history. There he was, sitting alone at a table.

"Silas!" she choked.

She bent at the waist and put her hands on her knees. Her vision was starting to flicker. Her breathing came in short, raspy gasps. She couldn't hear over her heart pounding in her ears.

Having used a sustained Force run from the site of the wreckage of the speeder bike to the Capitol City Library, her body felt as though she could burst into flames at any moment.

Silas, who had been looking through holonet news recordings and stories of the Emperor during his Chancellor days and the time period leading up to Order 66, wanted to piece together more of his parent's pasts. He was sitting on a stool with his datapad in his hands oblivious to his surroundings. His mind wandered as he looked at the images that flickered on his screen and wondered what it was like before the order was given. He wished to go back in time and stop the events from unfolding.

Suddenly, a noise and a Force presence pierced through his obsessive concentration. He looked up to see Adilla more exhausted both mentally and physically, than he had ever seen her. He threw his datapad to the table and ran to where she stood doubled over with scratches and bruises from head to toe.

Wanting to prove he could have fun and that he did have a sense of humor he asked mockingly, "What in the name of the Force happened to you? Did you get into a scuffle with a rancor on the way?"

The moment the questions left his mouth, he knew that he had said the wrong thing. Bad timing was always his lot, when it came to poking fun at anyone. The look in her eyes said it all. Now was not the time for kidding around.

"It's Master," she choked through gasps, "Bez. It's your mom, Silas. A ... a bounty hunter showed up at the house...I would've stayed, but I had to come find you. And ... and ..."

She tried to take a calming breath, but it was all too much and she erupted into heaving sobs in the middle of the library.

"I... I don't know..." she murmured. "If she's d-d-dead, it's my fault."

Upon hearing Adilla's story, Silas felt as if the world was collapsing around him. He knew then, what all the Jedi whose fellow friends and family had felt as their friends had faced the torture and death at the hands of bounty hunters.

He gathered his composure and asked, "Who is it?"

She shook her head. "I didn't get a name. He grabbed me…a Mandalorian. I ran before he could do anything." Then, she bit her lip and looked away from his eyes. "And, ah, your bike is sort of crashed. It fell off a cliff."

Silas knew that facing a Mandolorian would be a fight that would take all three of them. His Master and mother could never face a Mandolorian alone. He gathered Adilla in his arms and carried her around the back of the library to his waiting speeder bike.

"That hunk of durasteel wasn't my bike...must have been his. At least he lost his ride out of there."

Adilla had never been weak or taken kindly to help, but she couldn't help, but curl against Silas as he walked with a leisurely step towards his bike. It was her fault if Bez died. Then, Silas would lose his mother, as well as his father. _What would he think of her? Would he be angry?_ She clutched a fistful of his robes in her hand and held it tightly.

She'd never had the chance to tell him. She'd assumed Bez already knew how she felt about Silas. She'd been hoping that after they'd completed their training, Adilla and he might be able to have a life together, but if he blamed her for the death of his mother, that would be impossible. She curled more into him, the mental and physical exhaustion extending their hold over her. Her skin was still hot, like she had a fever. She felt as though she were the one dying.

Silas could feel the heat resonating from Adilla's torn robes. He gently placed her on the speeder, climbed on and started the engine in one fluid motion.

"Don't let go."

Using the Force, he gripped the seat for both of them and trottled up the engine as high as it would go. His mind raced faster than the speeder trying to formulate a plan and strategy. Thoughts of his mom's state tried to force their way into his mind. It took all the concentration he could muster to keep those thoughts at bay.

He knew that his Master was still alive because he could sense her presence in the Force, but not for how long. It had not been that long ago that she had taught him that skill and for that he was extremely grateful. Silas could also sense the heartache of Adilla. Using the Force, he planted a thought in her mind that their Master was still alive. He could feel the sobs of joy coming from her receiving the planted message.

* * *

The hunter knew he had been bested by this Jedi. She had taken his weapon and his pride, but he had trained for situations just like this. His thoughts rushed as he realized that his only way of retaliation was a surprise attack that this Jedi would never expect. He quickly sized up his available weapons and made his decision. For all her mocking, he would make her death a painful one. He chuckled at his own brilliance.

Bez narrowed her eyes. "What in the name of Force could be funny?" she growled.

He gently raised his arm, ever so slightly. She never noticed his movement. Luck was on his side this day. After what seemed an eternity, he quickly tapped the grapple release on his forearm. The grapple flew through the air and made a direct course for the Jedi's chest. She seemed too distracted to even notice its release. The grapple punched into her chest and came out her back. _This will be a handsome reward_, he thought. He punched another button on his forearm and began retracting the grapple along with his prize Jedi.

Bez could feel Silas reaching out to her through the Force, trying to get a sense of her safety or lack thereof. She was just beginning to formulate a response when a sudden pop sounded from the bounty hunter. She looked up in time to see something coming at her through the air. By the time she had surmised what had happened, it was too late. She felt a sudden explosion in her chest that felt as though a training saber had been forced into her chest and swept clean through her back.

When the grapple opened, she knew exactly what had occurred. She forced back the pain that swelled within her chest, and barely conscious, called her lightsaber to her hand, hidden from the sight of the bounty hunter. As the grapple retracted, a plan formed in her mind. As she came within an arm's length from the Mandalorian, she raised her hand with the hidden saber and forced the hilt to the neck of her attacker. She pushed the activation switch and the blue blade stabbed from front to back. The Mandalorian collapsed instantly to his knees and then fell in a heap to the floor.

Bez had little time to rejoice in her victory. The pain was beginning to be too much to bear. She put her hands to her chest, and she pulled them away, covered in red. She felt her son reach for her again, more harshly this time and she could barely reply. She crumpled to the ground, hoping that she might get to see her son's face and, in that, her husband's, one last time.

"Hurry, Silaneaus," she murmured to the air. "Hurry."

* * *

Within minutes, Silas pulled up front of the house. Adilla had been rejuvenating through Silas' Force energy. They both hopped off the speeder and rushed inside to find Bez,lying in a pool of her own blood and the Mandalorian not far from her with a lightsaber still piercing his neck.

Silas ran to his mother, cradling her in his arms. Tears swelled, as he looked into his mother's eyes and a flood of emotions poured from him.

"I'm so sorry Mo- Master that wasn't here to help you."

Bez slowly opened her eyes. They were dull. She didn't have a lot of time left.

"It's mom for now, Silas." She coughed. "And, this is what the Force meant to happen. You're supposed to go on your own now."

She tried to lift her head slightly.

"Adilla, come here."

The girl walked towards the two of them and knelt.

"I'm so sorry, Master," she whispered. "I tried. I really did try."

Bez looked up at Adilla, and her gaze caught Adilla's violet, bloodshot eyes. The look Bez gave her was one she had never given her before and it spoke volumes about how much she had come to care for her young Padawan. In fact, it was a deep love she was expressing. A tinge of regret crossed her mind for what she was about to say.

"You need to go back to your parents on the other side of Capitol City and hide. It is just not safe here for you right now. That bounty hunter knew about me and possibly about you and Silas, both."

Adilla frowned. "My ... my parents, Master?" she murmured. "I don't understand. My ... my parents will not just let me come back with open arms. I ran away to come here and train, if you recall. And, that was nearly five years ago." She rested her hands on her legs and looked down.

"Yes, Adilla, you must return to your parents. The Force has given me a vision that I have tried to stave off, but the Force wills what it wills. I am still your Master and _you_ still must listen and obey me."

She gritted her teeth, as sharp pains rolled through her back and chest. She used the Force to push past the pain and continue, "You must stop blaming yourself for anything that has happened to me. There is nothing you could have done to stop or prevent this. Rule 25: Blame leads to guilt, guilt to remorse and remorse to anger. Anger will lead you to the dark side."

"Silas looked Adilla, "I'll give you a ride to your old home and explain to your parents that you needed some time to yourself. They will understand and I will stay until they do."

Adilla took in what both of them said and nodded. She clenched her hands in her lap.

"I just wish you didn't have to leave us."

Looking back into his mother's eyes, Silas asked, "What about me?"

There was so much meaning wrapped in that question. _Where am I to go and what am I to do? _He had never been alone or had to fend for himself. There had always been his Mom to give him a place of safety and security.

Bez again fought the pain that tore through her body. It wasn't just the fact that there was a gaping wound in her chest and that she was dying causing her pain, but the knowledge that she was leaving two young Jedi behind that she cared for immensely.

"As for you my son, your father and I have prepared for just such a time as this. There is - a searing pain tore through her chest and she paused for a long moment. She had lost a great deal of blood and was fading fast. She knew that her son needed information and that it had to be said before her time came, and she parted from this life.

She continued, "There is a network set up to get you from Iridionia to your father. You need to look in my room under your father's chest that he made for our initial journey here. There is a secret compartment that is only opened telekinetically. In it, you will find what you need."

Adilla's eyes filled with hot, angry tears as she leapt up and ran out the door. She couldn't watch her Master die, when she wasn't brave enough to have stayed back and helped.

With a gasping breath, Bez tried to call out for Adilla. It was a futile effort. She then tried to send encouraging thoughts through the Force, but she could tell Adilla had cut herself off from the Force and would have nothing to do with receiving them. Worry pierced Bez's mind and heart. She knew that sending her back to her parents would be difficult for Adilla to accept, but it was a necessary step in her training and journey in the Force.

Silas felt tears begin to stream down his face.

"Where exactly is dad?" Silas asked softly.

Suddenly, a parting thought came to Bez, as she lay in a pool of her own blood. She began to try expressing her concern to Silas, but could not form the words. All that she was able to do in those final moments was express through the Force her love to him and the words: _Adilla, danger, and Dantooine_. As those thoughts passed from Bez to Silas, she heaved her last breath, murmured, "Silanaeus" and then became one with the Force.

He felt his mother's presence vanish from the Force. Gently, Silas placed his hand over her his mother eyes and moved it downwards, closing her eyes, as the tears began to pour from the young Zabrak's eyes.

There came a soft knock on the door and Adilla called out roughly, "Need a friend?"

"Yes" he said.

The tiny human walked up to him and sat down, resting her head on his arm. At another time, she may've blushed at the intimacy of this moment, but for right now, that crush of her's seemed nonexistent, as the salty tears made tracks down her cheeks.

"I - I could have saved her," Silas said between sobs. "If only I hadn't used all the Bacta, I might have been able to have prevented this."

Adilla didn't say anything, but she looked at the soft, pink shade of the palms of her hands. It was then, that something silver lying next to her caught her eyes. It was a long metal cylinder. Adilla reached over and grabbed it, running her finger over the engraved 'S' that Bez had once showed her.

"I ..." Adilla swallowed. "She would've wanted you to have this, Silas," she said softly, placing the lightsaber into one of his hands.

Silas looked at his mother's saber and gripped it tightly in his hand. The heartache returned with a vengeance. All the questions of _If only…_raced through his mind. He fought with his mind and heart, not with a weapon, such as his lightsaber, but with the teachings of his Master and Mom. The fight was as fierce as any duel he had ever encountered. Finally with a burst of self-determination, he pushed the grief aside. He knew this was how his Mom would have wanted it. Now was not the time for regret or self-doubt. It was the time for action and reflection.

"At least, she is no longer suffering from a broken heart. She really missed my dad," he said trying to look at the positives, even though there was still sorrow in his voice.

"Look,"Adilla said gently, pointing to the 'S' engraving. "She did that after leaving your father, so that whenever she fought, he'd always be with her. She told me that once. I thought it was beautiful."

He nodded sadly. "So what now?"

A determined look in came into Adilla's eyes and her tone said it all.

"We go find your father, like Master told us to do."

Silas looked at Adilla.

"She told_ me_ to go and find my dad."

"And I'm going with you," Adilla replied firmly and calmly.

Silas shook his head in disagreement.

"It's too dangerous for us to leave together."

She tipped up a smile. "I can do dangerous. I'll leave a day ahead of you and we can find a rendezvous point where we can meet up and then do that until we get to your dad."

"Master Bez told you to return home"

"I know she's my Master and all, Silas, but that is not going to happen." She looked away from him. "You don't understand why I ran away."

Silas sensed Adilla's fear of returning home. "It's because your parents are spy's for the Empire and you were afraid they would sell you out if they figured out you were Force sensitive."

Adilla looked at him with complete surprise. "How did you know?" She asked.

Silas shrugged. "I go to town often. When you first came here, Mom wouldn't let you go out of the house, remember? It was because your parents were looking for you. They suspected where you'd gone."

Adilla's eyes found the floor. "So, you think that they'll kill me when I go back?"

"I have no way of knowing. The Force hasn't shown me any of this. The best case scenario is that they take you back and be happy that you are finally home...or another possibility is that they make you work as a spy to find other Jedi. Worst case..."

Silas looked down at the floor at his mother. He knew that her parents could very well have her killed or kill her themselves. He just could not bring himself to say it.

She glared at him. "Then, you have to let me come with you. You have to, Silas! Be-besides, I-" She cut herself off there.

"You what?" he asked.

"Nothing," she snapped.

"Ok, ok," he said defensively.

She stood up. "I'll go get some towels or something."

She seemed so worked up. Silas wondered what she had been about to say.

"Adilla," he called after her, "really, what was it?

After waiting a few seconds, but never getting an answer, Silas realized it was probably a touchy subject for her.

"Your mom knew, but then I had to go and let her die," Adilla hissed after a moment. "If I hadn't been training this afternoon and been such a klutz and gotten myself hurt, there would've been Bacta and then I had to go find you and-"

The last was lost in a scream as she slammed her fists against the wall near the door. She was furious with herself, with Silas, with Bez, with the Force, with everything and everyone.

"It's all my fault," she added more softly, as a hot, angry tear made its way down her cheek again.

Silas arose and walked towards her, sensing the anger and the sorrow that radiated from her. He put a hand on Adilla's shoulder and pulled her into his arms.

At first she pushed away from him, but Silas, knowing she needed him, held fast and tight. She eventually sagged into him.

"She knew," Adilla whispered. "She understood, but they won't."

_There is no emotion, there is peace. There is no ignorance, there is knowledge. There is no passion, there is serenity. There is no chaos, there is harmony. There is no death, there is the Force,_ Silas quoted to himself silently.

"I just wish she could've been here when I told you," she murmured.

This comment shook Silas from his trance-like state. Through his bloodshot eyes, Silas looked at her with confusion registering on his face.

"When you told me what?"

Adilla swallowed hard, but looked at him steadily.

"I love you, Silas. That's why I must come with you. Otherwise, what will become of me?"

She swallowed again and looked down, but seemed somewhat relieved.

Silas was now more confused than ever. He mind wasn't processing much, due to his emotional state.

"I love you too, Adilla. You are the closest thing to a sister that I have. You are like family to me...I don't know how I can do this without you, but traveling together is a recipe for disaster. If a bounty hunter could trace our Master, who covered all her tracks, then I have no doubt that we will be found for sure. Just let me get to my father. He always has a plan and will know how to come back for you. I just can't bear to lose you too."

Adilla's face and heart fell.

"No, no, what I meant..." She cut off and looked down. "Come back for me. I don't think you quite understood what I was saying, Silas. _I love you_," she said again.

She regarded him with a look of steadiness, but hope.

His mind began to race with thoughts and his emotions were now getting the best of him.

"Adilla, I just can't deal with that right now. I hear what you are saying...I really do, but I am not sure what I feel right now. All I know is that I have to follow our Master...my mother's directives, and so do you. You must go back to your family and I have to go find my father..._alone_. I promise that we will come back for you and then we can sort all this out. It's just that right now is not the time or place for this."

Her eyes left his and she took a step away from him.

"I hate to break it to you, Silas, but your mother is dead. See?"

She gestured to the Jedi still lying on the ground.

"And you aren't even willing to try to see? Silas, please, I love you. I can't just put this on hold. I can't go back. They'll kill me, or worse, take away what I am. You don't know my parents and what they are capable of."

She turned her eyes to him again. "Silas, please let me come with you. I can be stealthy and careful. You know I can. Silas, I beg of you." She walked to him again. "Let me go with you. We can find your father together, then we can work on your feelings. Your emotions."

She had tugged at his heart-strings and he knew it, but his Zabrak stubbornness and determination held steady. Silas fell back to his Jedi training. His Master and mother had always stressed compliance with directives given by a Master.

Suddenly, his mothers final Force messages that she had sent him came rushing back into his memory, as if she had just sent them ... Adilla ... danger ... Dantooine ... He wasn't sure of the exact meaning of what she was trying to convey, but he knew for certain that if he and Adilla were to leave together that they both would be in danger.

He steadied himself and using as much strength and forcefulness as he could muster said, "Adilla, Master Bez was adamant that you return to your parents. If there were a danger to you, she would not have told you do it and that is what _you must do_. Remember your training as a Jedi. We must put our feelings aside and comply with our Master's directives. I am to go to find my father...of that I am sure. I know it won't be easy for you to return to your parent's home, but it won't be for long. Dad has a way for everything. He can and will find a way for us to come back for you."

With that being said, Silas turned away and walked to his mother's room to find the chest that his mother had referred to. It was a simple durasteel box with Zabrak engravings, which resembled the tatoos that Zabrak's wore proudly on their bodies as a mark of their rite of passage. His father's artistic flair was well-known among his kinsmen. For a moment, Silas felt a small sense of relief from the grief he felt earlier. He was going to find his father.

He was just about to open the box, when he heard the door slam and the unmistakable revving of an engine. Silas ran to the front door just in time to see Adilla hop onto the seat of his speeder, ease up on the brake, and begin driving towards town.

"Adilla!" Silas called. She didn't even turn to look. "Adilla!" He called out twice more before he sagged against the open door. She was gone. _Not for good_, he reminded himself. He would see her again. He would get her back and then the two of them would be able to try to understand their feelings. Silas watched until Adilla was just a speck on the horizon. He then turned and walked back into the room, shutting the door behind him. He sucked in a deep breath and walked back to the chest.

He turned the box over and examined it. By simply looking at it, he was unable to find the secret compartment that his mother had spoken of. He took in another deep breath to steady himself and focus, drawing deep into the Force. In an instant, a small hatch plate slid open to reveal a piece of flimsiplast with the simple scrawling of his father's handwriting that read, 'Thoran'.

Silas stood running the name through his mind, but drawing a blank. "Bantha fodder," Silas said out loud, struggling to make sense of the message. Taking the flimsy, he turned and went to his room, his last bastion of hope and safety. He sat down cross-legged and began his deep meditation. He hoped that the Force would lead him to the answer he so desperately needed. He closed his eyes and tried to clear his mind. He couldn't do it. Immediately, his mind was filled with the final moments he had spent with his mother. He tried pushing that aside and it was replaced with his final conversation with Adilla. _Had I done the right thing? Was I too hard on her? Have I driven her away for good?_

He pressed ahead, but still was unable to find the peace that was required for his meditation. Frustrated to the point of exhaustion, tears began to run down his cheeks and drop to the floor. He sobbed even more deeply and heavily than he had ever in his life. He mourned for his mother, for Adilla, for his father...Oh, how he wanted his father there to tell him what to do and that it would all be ok. He felt so alone. He _hated_ to be alone.

After what seemed like an eternity, he had cried himself out of tears and numbness set it. He gently lay down on the bare floor and out of sheer emotional exhaustion closed his eyes to a fitful night of sleep.


	4. The Search

**Chapter 4**

**The Search**

PROXY always carried out his Master's instructions and finding and hiring help for the harvest was no exception. His Master had left abruptly, without eating and vanished, as he so often did. PROXY busied himself in the kitchen preparing Nerf steaks and Dantooine flapjacks that were his Master's breakfast favorites. At least that is what his Master had told him on several occasions. He knew he had to hurry if he was to travel the 25 kilometers to Garang, locate an appropriate candidate that Master Marek would approve of and get back home to prepare the evening meal. Master Marek expected his meals to be prepared and on the table when he arrived in the evenings. This made PROXY seem anxious, but also kept him in line and busy so that Marek could carry out his business without interruption.

Galen had Force run back to the field that he had visited earlier that morning. He needed to get away from his droid's constant attention to the details of his life. His Force sense seemed overwhelmed by some pending event, but what that was he could not determine.

He found a fresh spot on the fertile soil and dropped to his knees. Although, this was not the optimal position for meditation, it had become his typical pattern, which was a carryover from his time with Darth Vader. This pose allowed him great flexibility and he could easily be ready to face an oncoming attack. He took in a deep breath and began to clear his mind.

Instantly, flashes of Juno flying an X-Wing ran through his mind. As quickly as those thoughts had come, he began to form another mental image. This fleeting image was that of a young man wearing a beggar's cloak which was pulled over his head. He watched as a bystander, just as he had in visions of the past. Galen did his best to move around to see the young man's face. No matter which way Galen moved, it seemed the young man could actually sense Galen's presence and turn away, so as not to reveal his face.

Without warning, Galen saw something he never expected to see. Hanging hidden inside this stranger's cloak were three lightsabers. It was a split-second look, but Galen knew what he had seen and the shock of that sight brought him reeling out of his meditative state. He jumped from his knees to his feet and drawing on the Force began to look around himself. No one was there. As an extra precaution, he drew even deeper into the Force and was relieved to find, once again, that he was alone. He dropped to his knees once more running the vision over and over in his mind. _Who was the young man in this vision? Was it someone from his past, an old adversary or was this a vision of his future?_ At this point, he had no way of knowing. He knew he had to be ever more conscious and cautious. With Darth Vader alive and well, he would always be a wanted man.

* * *

PROXY placed the nerf steak and flapjacks on a plate and put it in the nanowave stove for his Master's imminent return. Turning from the nanowave stove, Proxy searched his memory banks for the conversation between himself and his Master. The very thought of what Master Marek would do if he failed made him feel like his circuit were about to over load.

"This must be sentient beings call 'fear'," PROXY said to himself.

He made his way out to the shed where his Master parked his X-34 landspeeder. Because Marek relied primarily on the Force when flying or driving, Marek had made special adjustments to his landspeeder for his droid, which could be activated by the flip of a switch on the throttle. PROXY recalled a holographic image of his Master and pulled the hood of his cloak over his head in Marek's usual fashion. Climbing into the speeder, he powered the repulsorlifts and flipped the special switch and fired the three turbine engines. He began to formulate his plan to search for a candidate. He would travel to the Agro Outpost in Garang and begin the search in the tavern.

The closer PROXY came to within Garang's city limits, the more he began to argue with himself for even going in the first place. As he remembered the conversation he had with his Master, his holographic image changed from himself to Marek.

"Master, may I suggest something?"

"And what would that be?"

"I believe it would be wise to hire someone to help you, that way you won't strain yourself as hard as you did the last harvest."

"PROXY, how many times must we go through this? I just can't have someone else poking their nose around here."

"Master, you remember what happened last harvest."

"I am well aware what happened last harvest ... so is my credit account."

"Master, I refuse to have another rerun of last year and, as you remember, you programmed me to look out for your well-being."

"Alright, PROXY ... enough! If you think I need help, then do me a favor and go find help for me. Just leave me out of it. If anything happens out of the ordinary, then I hold you personally responsible and will wipe your programming again and this time, you will become a droid that will be responsible for cleaning all the refreshers on this planet. Do I make myself clear?"  
Hearing his Master's voice, although just his own replication, made PROXY jerk the steering wheel hard to his right. His photoreceptors open wide and the nose of the speeder headed directly through a heavy marsh and into a lake.

"Scrap heap," he exclaimed. "Master Marek will probably crush my joints and servos and throw me in a trash pile."

With an adjustment to the repulsors, he was able to reverse the landspeeder and return to the path to Garang.

"I most definitely will have to give Master's speeder a good wash-down before I return. How long will that take?"

PROXY continued to calculate his timing of his search and his return, now having to factor in the speeder's cleaning. This caused even more alarm from the droid.

* * *

Galen arose still in deep thought. His vision of the hooded young man plagued him. He knew that he needed to confer with someone that knew him better than anyone else in the universe, Juno Eclipse. They had kept contact to the bare minimum, due to his constant concern for her safety. Before she had left Dantooine, they had set up a secret transponder code that would be used if either had important information to share. It had been over a year since Galen had spoken to her.

He argued with himself whether or not this would constitute contacting Juno. _Could she provide some missing pieces of memory for him to know who this figure was? On the other hand, contacting Juno would be risky, at the very least. It could lead to Darth Vader's operatives tracking them both._

Galen stopped in his tracks and dropped to his knees to delve once again into the Force. He needed answers and he needed the right answers. He focused his senses once again. When he awoke from his meditative trance, he had the answer he needed. He would contact Juno.

Juno had secretly returned the Rogue Shadow to Galen soon after she had arrived back with the Alliance. The Shadow belonged to Galen and too many emotions were tied to that ship. Reluctantly, Galen had accepted it back into his care.

He had a secret cave dug into the hillside of his farm and had hidden it there. Galen started off in a walk that eventually ended in a Force run back to the Shadow's cave. His heart began to race at the thought of hearing her voice again. He had tried his best to put her out of his mind and heart, all to no avail. The more he tried not to think about her, the more he did. It was a vicious cycle that he did not know how to stop.

As he neared the cave, he stopped and focused his energy to use telekinesis to remove the debris that covered its entrance. Galen walked slowly into the cave and looked around. It had been a long time since he had visited the secret cavern. Although, the cave was hewn from the hillside, it was more like a secret hanger on the inside. Its walls were covered with durasteel panels and shelving, which stored extra parts and various tools needed to make adjustments and repairs to the craft, if needed.

Galen had made a change to the controls that lowered the boarding ramp as a safety precaution. Instead of physical controls, he made use of his telekinesis to raise and lower the boarding ramp. Only a Force sensitive would have this ability and there certainly were not many around since Order 66 had been issued, thus an intrusion into his prized ship would be virtually nonexistent.

He then began to make his way up the ramp. With each footfall, his mind raced back to the point in time that he and Juno had boarded the Rogue Shadow with Darth Vader as their prisoner. He remembered that moment and how relieved he felt that his nemesis was shackled. Even as Darth Vader was passed to a Zabrak Jedi Guard, Silaneaus Chatok, he had a brief instance of hope that Vader would no longer cause him fear and dread. He had yearned for the time that Juno would finally be safe. It was a short-lived moment. Darth Vader had successfully escaped and slaughtered most of his captors and now was back to his old ways, although more fierce than ever.

He continued on into the Shadow and forward to the cockpit. In his mind, he could still see Juno sitting in the captain's chair. As he dwelled on that thought, he realized that even after all this time away, the cockpit still smelled of her perfume. This caused a stab of pain to his heart.

While they transported Vader to Dantooine, he briefly thought that he might live out the rest of his days at Juno's side. Again, dashed hopes caused him renewed grief, as he realized how much he missed her.

He sat down in that familiar captain's chair and dialed in the secret frequency that would signal Juno. It was an extremely unfamiliar tone that only she would recognize. In his vision earlier, he had actually seen her in an X-wing. This caused him a bit of confusion, as well. He knew she would never be comfortable flying a fighter craft and that being a Captain of a Command Ship was what she wanted to do. Still, he sent the signal and impatiently waited for her reply.

* * *

PROXY pulled up to the Agro Outpost at his calculated time. He was still using the hologram image of his Master. After securing the speeder, he made his way to the local tavern to seek out his first candidate.

The tavern was not like the usual cantinas on other planets. It was here that smugglers and off-worlders could find medical treatment, as well as run up a tab for drinks and entertainment. There were small rooms where medical droids were busy going about the business of providing bactapatches and bacta on open wounds. Tables sat beside each form-chair where patrons could find healing, as well as drink away their problems if only for a couple hours.

PROXY knew his Master did not approve of such on-goings and began to scan the small crowd looking for his likely candidate. After several hours of observation and not finding anyone that would be a match, he gave up his search knowing that he still needed to clean the speeder before returning to the farm.

He walked out of the tavern and into the noonday sun. Immediately, he began thinking to himself, _Master Marek, will be so disappointed with that he will re-wire all my circuits and fry my servos_. _I am doomed. _He slowly made his way back to the speeder. He began to formulate what he was going to say to his Master and anticipated the tongue-lashing he was going to receive.

* * *

"Flight command to Eclipsed Moon, come in Eclipsed Moon," came the voice over the comm in the X-wing.

Juno tapped the comm control and answered her second in command.

"This is Eclipsed Moon."

"I think it is time you bring that bird home to roost. We can't have our Commander out much longer. It just isn't the wisest or smartest thing you could be doing."

Juno sighed. She knew he was right. She had started flying the X-wing drills to get a feel for what her pilots experienced during skirmishes with the Empire. It was her way of dousing the longing she felt for Galen. It had been too long since she had heard from him. She knew he was maintaining the silence to protect her, but the silence did not protect her heart. Every day she was away from him was a day that her heart died just a little bit more. What could she do. With Darth Vader alive and well, and bounty hunters carrying out his every command, being with Galen was just not a possibility right now.

She nosed her X-wing toward the newly commissioned Salvation II and headed for an open hangar bay. The Salvation II, an MC80 Liberty type Star Cruiser, was a secret gift from Gial Ackbar, a Mon Calamari, who Senator Bail Organa and Juno had helped free from Moff Tarkin and helped unite the Mon Calamari and the Quarren races.

The gift and commissioning of the Salvation II had been kept under wraps and Juno had been given a crew to and a classified mission to carry out single target strikes against the Empire, and thus weaken its hold on the galaxy. This was Ackbar's wish and it was granted through the encouragement of Senator Bail Organa.

She lowered her landing struts and began lightly firing the repulsors, which made her landing light and near silent, like the experienced pilot that she was. Her landing reminded her of the many missions she flew with StarKiller, where she was required to be as stealth-like as possible. The crew in the hanger bay stood in amazement of her piloting skills.

As she was opening the canopy, a sound came from her hidden comm unit. For a split instant, she thought she was imagining the sound. She craned her neck and listened closer and more carefully. Again, the mystical and magic sound fluttered from her comm unit.

She tapped a reply into the unit and to the waiting ear at the other end. He was calling her. Excitement filled her thoughts, then as suddenly as the thrill came, it vanished. Now, she was terrified. _Had Vader found him? Was he in some kind of trouble?_ She wished she was a Force-wielder and that she could push aside fear, panic and dread the way Galen could so easily do.

She hurriedly stuffed the unit into her flight bag, made her way out of the cockpit, down the steps and onto the hangar floor. She was saluted and greeted by her hanger crew and she gave them the obligatory salute in return, then quickly made leave for her private quarters.

She entered, keyed in her private code on the activation panel that locked the door behind her and grabbed the comm unit from her bag. Her heart pounded in her chest, as she dialed in the secret frequency that she and Galen shared. How she wished they could share their lives together, rather than just a secret frequency. Suddenly, the all too familiar voice resounded from the unit.

"Lunar, is that you?"

She was almost at a loss for words. It had been three standard years since he had called her that code name.

"Farmer, it's me," she said in reply.

"I have missed you."

What could she say in response? Tears began to swell in her eyes. She used the sleeve of her flight-suit to brush them aside.

"I miss you too. Is everything alright?"

"Yes and no…can we meet somewhere? I _have_ to see you."

"Yes and no? What does that mean, farmer?"

"I'll explain when I see you. Can you get away? This won't take long. I know you are busy and I do not want to interfere with your mission … I … I just need to see you. You are the only one who knows and understands me."

Galen wanted to say more … to tell her of his vision and get her opinion, but he knew that he had to wait. Now was not the time and certainly it was not safe to be communicating through technology for long periods of time with the Empire continually scanning all frequencies.

"Sure … You name the time and place and I'll be there."

Galen thought for a moment. "Can you meet me at the Second Star?"

Dantooine's Second Star was an asteroid in the Ferionic Nebula. This had been a meeting place for Juno and Galen in the past. Both of them knew it well.

"Sure…when?"

"Just as soon as you can get there," Galen responded with urgency.

"Give me a couple of hours. I need to check in with my crew and check our order status from Alliance Command."

Sure…that will work. I'll be waiting for you."

With that, the conversation ended. Galen was a man of few words. For him to come to her with concerns of this nature, he was desperate for information or reassurance. She was sure of it.

* * *

Galen switched off the comm unit and began his start-up sequence for the Shadow. As the sublight drive and thrusters began to warm up, he called up the coordinates for Dantooine's Second Star.

He recalled their last meeting on the asteroid. It was etched in his memory. He had been struggling with his identity and was pushing Juno away emotionally. He now wished to go back in time and change that last moment he had with her. Galen had finally come to terms with who he was and had changed for the good. He felt more settled and he now yearned for her company … at least until this latest vision. He continued to play the scene over in his mind.

At last, the engines were primed and he flipped on the repulsors. He gently guided the shadow from its hidden den and set course for the asteroid. Within a standard hour, he had reached the cave within the asteroid. He lowered his landing struts and landed the shadow awaiting the arrival of Juno's shuttle. He prepared the Shadow docking bay and knelt to his knees in meditation beside the airlock.

* * *

Juno went about her duties as Commanding Officer. She knew what to do. Because her missions were secret, her crew was used to her rendezvous with informants from the Empire. She called for her shuttle to be prepared for her departure and took care of all the last minute paperwork that had been piled on her desk.

She made a quick trip to the sanisteam and donned a clean Commander's uniform. She had no idea what to expect from Galen. She commed her second in command, Mal Tallon, a middle-aged Duros.

"Mal, I have been called to meet up with an informant. You know the drill…"

Mal cut her off mid-sentence.

"Take care of my ship. I expect her to be in one piece when I return…Yeah, yeah, I know."

Juno liked that about Mal. He took orders, took care of her ship in her absence and had a great sense of humor. These days humor was a rare commodity.

She made her way to the turbo lift to take her to the lower deck where her shuttle crew were standing by awaiting her arrival. The shuttle crew chief informed her that the shuttle was ready for her. He gave her a salute and she did so in return.

"Thanks for all you do Dak. I know I do not say that enough, but I really do appreciate the way you take care of my shuttle."

"Just doing my duty, Commander Eclipse."

"I know, but you always go above and beyond to keep it ready in a split second. I know that isn't easy."

"Thank you, Commander."

With that she boarded her shuttle and entered the familiar coordinates. Dantooine's Second Star. _Maybe this will be a second chance for us._

She fired the repulsors, lifted the landing gear and made her way out of the shuttle bay. Once she was clear, she fired her thrusters and began her standard hour and half trek to the asteroid cave.

The long lines of stars began to shorten, as Juno's shuttle came out of hyperspace. She took a quick look at the scanner to get her bearings and made her way to see Galen.

She carefully guided her shuttle into the cave and landed it beside the Rogue Shadow. Upon seeing that incredible ship, memories came rushing back into her mind. She did her best to ignore them and made her way to the docking clamp to board the Shadow.

Galen was startled from his meditation by the sound of the docking clamp attaching to the Shadow. He rose from his knees and opened the airlock for Juno's arrival. Not long afterward, Juno came striding through the airlock.

Galen was taken aback by the sight of Juno's form as she walked through the airlock. He remembered her beauty, but it seemed that she had become even more beautiful with time. He rushed to her, grabbed her shoulders, pulled her to his chest and wrapped her in a loving embrace. He had missed her more than he had even imagined. He stroked her back and her flowing blond hair. Juno collapsed into him. They stood there in that embrace for quite a while. They eventually parted slightly and their lips came together in a long and lingering kiss.

Galen recalled her smell and taste. His mind rushed back to memories of their times together on this hunk of floating rock. He wished it could be more often and for longer periods of time. He just had no idea how to make that happen.

At last, they parted and Juno looked into Galen's eyes. He looked different. She couldn't quite tell why or how, but something had changed.

"Farming has done some good for you."

"Yeah, I have actually grown to love it. It certainly took a while, but with PROXY's help, I have done pretty well."

"So how is PROXY, anyway…I miss him."

"Annoying as ever!"

Juno laughed at that. He meant it in all seriousness, but she knew PROXY had to be doing what he was programmed to do…to take care of his Master.

"So, what has been so annoying other than his constant badgering about your health and safety?"

"Well, that is a long story…so long story short, I had a little trouble with last year's harvest of kilba greens and he is determined to hire someone to help me this harvest season."

"So what's wrong with that idea?"

"Oh no, not you too?"

"Why are you getting so testy, farmer?"

"Juno, you know as well as I do that I can't have someone else living with me at the farm. I can't trust anyone not to be working for Darth Vader. How would I live with myself if they somehow got to you by working for me?"

"Galen, you can't live your life in fear. You know that as well as anyone. The Force determines our destiny not our fears or our wishes. When my time comes, I am sure there will be nothing you can do to stop it."

"I stopped it once before…"

"Are you so sure of that? How can you say the Force was not ready for me?"

"I don't know. I don't want to argue. I have more to talk about than that."

"Ok…agreed. I am sorry that our time together has come to this again."

"I was out in the kilba field. PROXY had pushed me to my limits and I needed to get away and calm myself. I began to meditate and that is when it happened…"

"What happened?"

"I had a vision of you flying an X-wing."

"Yeah, I have been taking an X-wing out on drills to get a feel for what my fighter pilots experience. Why is that so troubling?"

"That was not the only thing in my vision … if that is what it was."

"What else could it have been?"

"A memory maybe.."

"So what else did you see in your vision or memory that was so troubling?"

"Did I ever attack a young man in a beggar's cloak?"

"No … not that I recall."

"So, it must have been a vision."

"Galen, how is seeing a young man in a beggar's cloak so troubling?"

"It wasn't the beggar's cloak that was troubling. It was the three lightsabers hidden inside his cloak."

"Three lightsabers! Are you sure it was three?"

"Yeah, I am sure. It was just a quick glance, but I know what I saw. Only someone who was hunting Jedi would have more than two lightsabers."

"So, what are you going to do? Do you know what he looked like? Did you see his face?"

"That is just it, Juno. This was unlike any vision I have ever had. It was if the young man could sense that I was trying to get a look at his face."

"That doesn't make sense, Galen."

"Tell me about it, Juno. I can't figure this one out. Usually, I have a sense about these kinds of things. This one … I don't have any idea."

"I just don't understand visions, Galen. I am not Force-sensitive, so I really can't help you there. This is one that you have to figure out."

"I know, Juno," Galen said through clenched teeth. "I just needed to know if the vision was a memory that I was recalling."

"I am sorry. Once again, I have irritated you. That was not my intent."

Galen looked down at the floor and centered himself. He was allowing his emotions to get the best of him … again. He looked up and into her eyes. With more feeling than he had ever expressed, he finally said, "Juno, I love you. I am sorry that I have let my anger swell. I am fearful for your safety and that drives me to my anger. I am angry with Darth Vader, with Rahm Kota, the Empire, the Rebel Alliance. I seem to be angry with everyone."

"Galen, please don't take this the wrong way, but maybe you are not really angry at anyone but yourself. You just use everyone else as an excuse for your anger."

"Maybe you're right, Juno. I haven't really thought of it that way."

Just then an alarm sounded from her comm link. Mal Tallon was trying to contact her.

"Yeah Mal, what is it?"

"Sorry to interrupt, Commander, but Alliance Command has requested your attendance at a briefing for a new mission. Will you be much longer?"

"I will be there within an hour and a half. Can you hold them off for me until I can get back?"

"Sure, I will just tell them we are having issues with our holographic display. That ought to keep them for a while. You know how they want to see your lovely face."

"Ok, on my way."

Galen looked at Juno with a longing in his eyes. This meeting had not turned out as he had hoped. There was no one to blame, but himself.

Juno was the first to speak. "Galen, I do love you, and I know that you will figure this out. Let the Force guide you and you can't go wrong. I believe in you. I always have. You need to believe in yourself."

"I will try, Juno. I promise you that. You need to go take care of your ship, and crew. Go and know my love goes with you."

Juno walked up to Marek and put her hands on each of his cheeks, pulling her to him. Their lips met in a soft, but passionate kiss and his arms went around her. A moment later, she pulled away and, with her eyes still closed, turned and walked to her ship without another word. Marek was struck, the feel of her kiss still lingering on his lips. He wanted to be sad that she was gone from him again, but he couldn't be. She'd given him something to remember in the time they would be apart.


	5. Journey to the Unknown

**Chapter 5**

**Journey to the Unknown**

Silas awoke in a cold sweat. His eyes burned from the day prior, and for a split instant believed it was all just a bad dream. He thought he would find his mom and Master cooking breakfast in the kitchen. He looked down to find the flimsy with his father's handwriting with the name Thoran written upon it and realized that his nightmare was reality. His reality.

Suddenly in a burst of remembrance, a dream he had during the night came flowing to his mind. He remembered seeing his father loading the traveler's chest with the secret compartment into a shuttle. His mother and father embraced and kissed one another goodbye. His father approached him, kissed him on the top of his head, and with tears in his eyes said a tearful goodbye to his son. He promised that it would not be for long.

After turning from Silas, his father called out, "Thoran, I expect you to get them there safely."

"You know I will, my friend. I am smart enough to know that one doesn't upset a Zabrak."

Silanaeus laughed and looked back at his wife and son. Thoran had been a close friend and like a brother to him.

"I trust you, Thoran," Silanaeus responded.

That was it. The name written on the piece of flimsy finally made sense to him.  
Silas now knew who Thoran was and maybe where to find him.

The feeling of satisfaction was short-lived. He knew he had to deal with his mother's remains. A sense of dread came over him like a black veil. He walked out of his room and into the living quarters. He gasped when he looked to the spot where he last seen his mother and Master lying still upon the floor. Her body was gone. All that remained were merely her outer garments and robe, as well as the Mandalorian bounty hunter's dead body.

He stood stunned and then recalled his mothers' teaching about Jedi that upon a Jedi's death, the body sometimes vanishes as they become one with the Force. He felt a moment of relief, but also a sense of sadness as he realized the finality of that moment.

Silas wrapped the hunter's body in a blanket and telekentically hurled the body out the front door. He gathered his mother's clothing and walked outside and to the back of the house. There he built a small funeral pyre of wood and laid his mother's robes upon it. He hesitated as he began to light the pyre knowing the clothing that lay atop was almost all he had left of his Master and mother. He drew a cleansing breath and set the pyre ablaze.

As he stood there and watched the robes and wood turn to ashes, an image of his mother appeared within the flames. He shook his head rapidly trying to regain what he considered was his grip on reality. He looked again and the image became clearer. To his amazement there was Master Bez staring back at him through the flames.

"Mom, is that you?"

"Yes, in a way," she replied. "You must not tarry here. Gather your belongings along with my light saber and leave. I love you, my dear son."

With that the image faded and was gone. Silas in a whisper that could not be heard said, "I love you too, Mom. I miss you already …"

Tears streamed once more as he thought of his Master's final message from beyond death and to the thoughts that she passed to him through the Force, Adilla … Danger … Dantooine.

Silas feeling overwhelmed and fearful began questioning himself, _How am I going to do this without mom? Am I prepared for this? I am still a Padawan … not even a Jedi Knight._ With all these thoughts swirling in his mind, he began to quote the Jedi Code out loud to himself to find calmness and regain emotional control.

"There is no emotion; there is peace. There is no ignorance; there is knowledge. There is no passion; there is serenity. There is no chaos; there is harmony. There is no death; there is the Force."

Feeling a sense of calmness and urgency, he turned went back inside to find the chest. As he knelt down in front of it, he realized that he had not actually opened the box itself, other than finding and opening the secret compartment on the bottom. He sat in front of it hesitating to open the box.

He remembered his mom bringing the chest into their new home and instructing him not to open it. He had often wondered exactly what it contained, but knowing his mother would be extremely upset with him for disobedience, he never dared open it.

He reminded himself that it was she, who in her final words to him, instructed that he find the chest and open the secret compartment. Finally he took a deep breath and centering his thoughts, he called upon the Force to open the box. To his amazement, the box opened. Inside, he found several items from their home on Iridia: A small painting by the famous Iridian artist, Llolen Agess, a holoprojector with a family image, an assortment of eating utensils, and a rain cloak. Silas took each item out and laid them beside the box. He sat confused by his mother's warning that he received as a young child. _Why would she say to never open the chest?_

An idea came to him and he laid one hand inside on the chest's floor and turned the box over to place his other hand flat on the bottom of the chest. There was a sizable space between his hands. _What could be hidden in that space?_

He took a deep breath and called on the Force once again. The floor of the chest separated and a second compartment was revealed. There he found credits, an identicard for travel passage, an IR-5 "Intimidator" blaster pistol with a holster, and an HSB-200 hold-out blaster, which he laid out on the floor beside him.

Silas removed his Jedi robes and packed them away in the chest along with his two light sabers, as well as his mother and Master's saber. He went to his room and pulled a brown, all-temperature cloak from his closet. He ventured back to the chest and strapped on the holster with the blaster pistol and tucked the hold out blaster into his boot. He put on the cloak and stuffed the credits and the identicard into his pocket and with one final sweep through the house, he shut and keyed in the lock to the access panel, and bid the home he'd known since childhood farewell.

Placing the traveler's chest in his mother's land speeder and strapping the bounty hunters body to the hood, Silas set a course for Capitol City. At the first large acid pool, he brought the speeder to a stop, unstrapped the hunter's body, and tossed it into the pool.

"Good riddance," he said aloud.

With that taken care of, he climbed back in and headed off again. He was pretty sure he knew where to find Thoran or at least the Force would show him who he was to ask.

* * *

Thoran Traeveck had lived on Iridonia for the last seven standard years. He had once lived on Iridia, where he grew up surrounded by Zabraks. As a teen, Thoran had been surrounded by a group of Zabraks who decided to use him as their training victim. Each of them held a Zhaboka and from the looks in their eyes, Thoran knew he was going to be carved like nerf steaks. Each Zabrak in the group began to charge at him, making him flinch. This caused the group as a whole to laugh hysterically and bets were placed to see who would be first to make him scream out it terror.

Out of nowhere it seemed to Thoran, a Zabrak of smaller stature walked up to the scene. He carried no weapon, but his confidence was like none other that Thoran had ever witnessed. The Zabrak stepped into the bullying mob and spoke to the crowd.

"I don't know what you are trying to prove by attacking an unarmed human. If you want to fight someone, then why don't you fight me, if you think you are tough enough?" said the Zabrak stranger.

The leader of the mob pushed forward and cursed the stranger. "Who do you think you are, bantha dung? This is no concern of yours. Move along before we carve you to shreds."

The stranger looked into the eyes of the leader and with bold confidence said, "Bring it on. You mess with him, you mess with me."

At once the Zabrak leader jump forward with his Zhaboka spinning ready to slice the stranger's right arm off. With a flick of the stranger's wrist, the Zhaboka went flying from the hands of the leader and stuck into a nearby tree. The leader's eyes widened in terror and he realized that he was not only fighting with a fellow Zabrak, but with a Force-wielding Zabrak. The group quickly dispersed leaving the stranger and Thoran by themselves.

"I don't know who you are, but I can't thank you enough. Those guys have been terrorizing me for years."

"You're welcome, my friend. My name is Silanaeus … Silanaeus Chatok."

"I am Thoran Traeveck," he said extending his hand to shake that of Silanaeus.

From that point forward, Silanaeus became his hero and best friend. Thoran had dreams of piloting a starfighter and went to flight school prior to the war. When Order 66 was issued, Thoran remembered his close friend and decided at that moment to repay the debt he felt he owed to Silanaeus. He commed him and heard a frantic Silanaeus on the other end.

"Thoran, it is horrible. My friends are being hunted and killed like animals. I am fearful for my family."

"Your family? … When did you marry?"

"Several standard years ago to Bez Ciallo. We have a son, Thoran … Silas..He is Force sensitive. We have to split up. If a bounty hunter finds us, my son will be murdered for sure. Can you help me?"

"Of course Sile…I still owe you for saving my life. It would be the least I could do for you."

Thoran had flown a shuttle to Iridia and quietly loaded Bez and her eight year old son, Silas along with other passengers who wanted to get off-planet. Silanaeus who always had a plan wanted them taken directly to Iridonia. He had already arranged their home on the planet.

When Thoran arrived, he fell in love with Iridonia. The mixture of humans and Zabrak seemed the best suited for him. Besides, he wanted to be available if Bez or Silanaeus ever needed him.

Bez had visited Thoran once with a message from her husband. He needed transport off Iridia to Dantooine. He had enlisted in the Rebel Alliance and had been called to active service on special assignment. Thoran obliged and on route to Dantooine with Silanaeus, he was given a datacard with special instructions to pass to Bez or Silas if either came to him for help.

* * *

Silas brought his speeder to a stop just inside Capital City. The square was bustling with traffic coming and going. He immediately noticed the library where he had been when his mother had met her tragic fate and a pain shot through his heart. He quickly pushed it aside. Now was not the time for regret. He had a mission. He needed to find Thoran. If only I had a last name.

Because of its remote location, Iridonia had become a haven for off-worlders and smugglers. It was a place where anyone could come unannounced and remain seemingly anonymous. Thoran was known around Capital City as one of the best mechanics one could find. In between his shuttle runs, he spent his time in the spaceport where he made a generous living off of other's bad fortune by repairing damaged spacecraft.

Silas centered himself and allowed the Force to flow through his being. He reached out with his Force sense and trying to allow it to guide him. He sensed a presence across the square and felt that this might be him or someone who could lead him to Thoran. When he opened his eyes, he looked at the individual that he felt led to approach. He winced at the sight. It was a very rough looking Bothan. He had a dark brown fur and was wearing a tattered bantha leather long coat and pants, knee-high boots and a dirty white shirt. Strapped across his chest, he wore a crossing double holster holding two Incinerator Guns. He also had slung across his back was an Outland Rifle. Just the sight of the off-worlder sent chills down his spine.

He parked and secured his speeder, while summoning his courage. The Force led me. This could be my only chance to find Thoran. Silas crossed the square and though inwardly he felt nervous, approached the Bothan.

With as much self-assurance that he could muster, Silas asked, "You wouldn't happen to know where I could find a pilot by the name of Thoran?"

The Bothan looked at Silas with an air of distaste.

"Who's looking?"

"He is an old family friend and I need to find him."

"Old family friend, huh? Well, he's busy right now repairing my ship. With the prices he charges, I think it would be best if you leave him alone. Otherwise, you'll have to answer to me. I will take the credits from your mangy, Zabrak hide."

With a nod, Silas turned and walked away glad to know that he was still in one piece and breathing. Thoran was still on Iridonia. Surely, a pilot and mechanic couldn't be that hard to find. He then headed to the one place where both might be found…the Capital City Spaceport.

* * *

Silas made his way back to his land speeder. The Capital City Spaceport was located on the north side of the city, which was the opposite side from where he was parked. In his mind, he continued trying to remember the shuttle pilot that had taken him and his mother to the safety of Iridonia. He was so young at that time that he had difficulty recalling his face.

He fired up the speeder and headed toward the spaceport. Capital City was a city of domed-shaped structures. It seemed that architects of the buildings all had the similar structure types in mind every time a new building was erected. The spaceport was no exception. It had a domed roof with a rounded spire over arched double entrance doors. The structure itself was made of durasteel that was coated with a dull yellow matte finish.

Silas pulled up to the spaceport, and once again secured the landspeeder. He walked through the entrance and was bombarded with sights, sounds and smells that were foreign to his senses. Capital City had become a haven for off-worlders who were of every race imaginable. Different languages and dialects were combining into what sounded like a loud gong in his ears.

The differing smells were almost overwhelming. Many of those within the spaceport were smugglers and pirates who did not like leaving their ships unattended. Many of the ships were in disrepair. Chemical smells mixed with ozone from repulsors and ion drives rammed his nasal passages.

The spaceport itself was dingy and could use a thorough cleansing from cleaning droids. From the looks of things, Silas wondered if there had ever been cleaning droids in the port. The floor was covered in black grime.

Silas made his way to the information counter that was manned by two protocol droids that looked as if they were both about to fall apart. He stepped to the counter.

"I am looking for Thoran. He is both a pilot and a mechanic…or so I have heard."

"Oh, you are quite well-informed, young Zabrak. He is one of the best mechanics on Iridonia. There is nothing he can't repair. In fact, he has repaired my servos quite a few times. The last time was 2 standard years ago…"

Silas cut the droid off. He was in too much of a hurry to hear about blasted droid drone on about all the many repairs performed on it.

"Can you just tell me where I can find him?" he said with a hint of agitation.

"Oh, I would be happy to not only share that information with you, but to also accompany you to him. It is what my central programming is designed to do. If you will hold for a mili-second and allow me to key in my access information to locate Thoran."

"Oh great," Silas mumbled to himself.

"Oh, I am so happy that you think so. Most visitors here at the spaceport decline my offer of accompanying them around the port to their locations. I am just about ready, sir."

"Just take me to him."

"That will not be a problem … oh my …"

"What is it?"

"It would seem Thoran does not want to be disturbed. He has turned off his locator."

"You have got to be joking."

"Oh, no sir. I do not have humor built into my programming."

"Is there any way you can find him? This is urgent."

"Well, why didn't you say so, young Zabrak? I can comm his R2 unit and who will pinpoint his exact location. It will only be a moment sir."

"Ok … whatever. Just make it quick."

"I will be as quick as my servos will allow me to be. Thoran is scheduled to overhaul my processing unit and give me an oil bath next week. I am so ready for this servicing."

"Have you located him yet?"

"Oh yes, young Zabrak. Actually, I found him 1.5222 mili-seconds ago."

Clenching his teeth, Silas did his best to remain calm. It wasn't working. His frustration level was nearing its peak and he verbally lashed out at the droid.

"Why didn't you tell me? Just take me to him."

I apologize, young Zabrak. I will be happy to do just that. He is on level 5 subsection A12, hanger bay 32. We need to make our way to the turbolift."

"Fine …"

Silas and the droid walked through the crowded port and ended up in front of the turbolift. The droid keyed in the level number along with the subsection code. The door to the lift opened and they entered. At once, the doors behind them shut and a whirring sound could be heard outside the lift compartment as the lift began to rise and shift. It came to a stop with a robotic voice announcing the level and subsection first in basic then in languages that were unfamiliar to Silas.

"Right this way, young Zabrak."

"Sure-could you stop calling me 'young Zabrak'?" Silas said in reply.

Well, you are young and a Zabrak. What would you prefer me to call you?"

"How about Mr. Zabrak."

"That would be acceptable, Mr. Zabrak."

"Nevermind-Just call me Zab."

"Very well, Zab"

The droid made a right turn outside the lift and began a trek down a slightly darkened corridor. The hallway was lit with dim blue glow strips, but Silas could tell the floor was as grimy, or more so than the bottom level of the port.

TC-23 came to a sudden a sudden stop in front a closed hangar entrance. Etched onto a durasteel plate was Hangar 32.

"It will just be a moment,Zab. If you will allow me to comm Thoran's R2 unit, Screech."

TC spoke into a comm unit and Silas heard tweetles, whistles and beeps in response. A few seconds later the hangar door slid open, and an angry human stood just on the other side of the doorway with his blaster drawn.

"TC-23, how many times have I told you not to bother me when I am busy. This job has an expedited order for completion. I turned off my locator for a reason. I am half a mind to blast your central processor."

Silas who was out of the sight line of Thoran stepped in front of the droid.

"It is my fault. I asked to see you about an urgent matter."

Thoran turned his blaster to Silas.

"And what would be so urgent that you would interrupt my work here?"

"I will be taking my leave and heading back to my post. Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can be of further service," said TC-23.

Silas waited for the droid to be out of earshot.

"I am assuming you do not recognize me, huh?" Silas asked.

"Why would I?"

"Well, if you can't remember maybe I should go get a few of my Zabrak friends and we can take you to a certain tree to slice you to shreds."

Thoran did a double-take. He looked intently into the face of the young Zabrak who stood in front of him.

"Silenaeus? It can't be. Bantha fodder, are you Silas?"

"Yes, Thoran," Silas replied.

"Come on inside and let's get this door shut. Go on into the ship. It is much more private and we can talk there."

Silas walked up the boarding ramp and into the Bothan's ship. He made his way to the kitchen galley where form chairs were placed around a round table. Within seconds, Thoran made his way to the galley, as well.

"Ok Silas, what are you doing here? Where is your mom?"

"Mom is dead. A bounty hunter …" Silas choked up and a tear began to streak down his cheek."

"Bez … dead? It can't be. I just talked to her yesterday. She checked in with me like she does every week."

Silas pushed his grief aside and and spoke again.

"It was a Mandalorian. His armor was red and silver."

"Oh no, I should have warned your mother."

"What do you mean?" Silas asked.

"I … I did some refinements and repairs on his ship. I figured he was on his way somewhere and had engine problems. If only I would have known, he would never had made it out of his hangar."

"Don't blame yourself. You couldn't have known. Before she died, she told me to open my father's traveler's chest. I found this."

Silas pulled the small piece of flimsy from his pocket and handed it to Thoran.

"I would recognize that handwriting anywhere and I know what this means. Kid, you have to get off this planet and to your father now. I flew your father to Dantooine. He told me about this flimsy and what to do if you or your mom came to me with it."

"I don't have a ship."

"That could be a problem. I have to get this ship repaired stat, or I would fly you there myself. We have to find a way to get you off planet before that Mando hunter returns for his ship."

"He won't be coming back, I can assure you of that." Murmuring to himself he added, "especially after the acid pit."

"Did you say acid pit?"

Stammering, Silas finally answered, "Y..yeah."

"Good for you! I hate Mandos"

"You're not the only one."

"I can imagine. Hey, I have an idea. Can you fly?"

"Uh, no…I have never even been off planet."

"No kidding? Hmm…that isn't a problem. Screech can get you there. He has flown for me plenty of times."

"Screech…who is Screech?"

Thoran laughed. "Oh, he is my R2 unit. I think you saw him when TC-23 had him open the hangar door."

"Yeah, I saw him. Why do you call him Screech?"

"Just hang out with him for a while and you'll find out." Thoran chuckled at this.

"Great, another blasted obnoxious droid."

"No droid is as obnoxious as TC-23. Listen, you have got to get your things on that Mando's ship. How long will it take you?"

"A few minutes at most."

"Traveling light, huh?"

"Yeah, you could say that."

"Here is the plan. I need some time to get everything set up for your departure. Here, take my identicard and pull around to the back of the Spaceport. You will enter by the guard shack. Just show them that card and tell them you are delivering something for me. Lucky for you, that Mando got a hangar bay on Level 1. Pull up to Hangar 7. I will meet you there. Take your time, ok?"

"Sure and thank you, Thoran."

"It is the least I can do. I owe your father my life."

Silas turned and walked to the opening hangar doors. He made his way back the way he came, past the information desk and out to his speeder. Take my time? What does he have to do?

Silas sat in the landspeeder, meditating and trying to center himself. His emotions had been getting the best of him lately and he did not like the way that felt. After several minutes, he fired up the speeder and followed the directions Thoran had given him. He pulled the speeder to hangar 7, jumped out and grabbed the traveler's chest.

As he walked to the hangar doors, they began to slide apart. Thoran stood waiting for him. Sitting on landing struts was a Class 720 freighter. It had a fresh coat of paint and was fired up and ready for take-off.

"I added a few extras on your new ship. That is probably the fastest 720 in the galaxy. You also have stealth capabilities. Just a little something I have been working on. By the way, what are you gonna name her?"

"You did all that in the time it took for me to get here? Wow."

"I know my way around mechanics, kiddo."

"I'll have to remember that. Uh…a name? Silas thought for a moment. "I think I will call it 'The Redemption'."

"Good name…I like that. You need a hand with anything? Can I get anything from your speeder for you?"

"I've got everything."

"When you said you were traveling light, you weren't kidding. I already have Screech in the ship and at his controls. All you need to do is step up the boarding ramp, stow that chest of yours in the living quarters and make yourself comfortable. I sent the transponder codes to Screech for The Redemption for your departure. You shouldn't have any problems. You will travel to Agamar for a short stop and load up hyperdrives. You are now a freighter pilot, kiddo. Keep your head down. When you arrive at Agamar, you need to locate Frox. He will give you the coordinates for the next stage of your trip. You are to say nothing about me, got that? "

"Yes, understood," Silas said giving Thoran a quick nod.

"Many Jedi lives depend on it. Oh and here is a little something from your father."

Thoran handed Silas a datacard which Silas clutched tightly in his hand. He could not wait to see what his father had stored on it.

"By the way, never bring up that tree reference to me ever again. In fact, I'd prefer that you use your Jedi magic and forget that it ever happened."

Silas looked back over his shoulder and gave Thoran a toothy grin. "Sure thing."


	6. New Companions, Old Feuds

**Chapter 6**

**New Companions, Old Feuds**

Dagmar followed Illyana into their home carrying the metal cases that they used to tote their belongings when on missions for the Empire. Dagmar stopped and watched Illyana, his bride and mother to their missing daughter, Adilla.

The Mains had once been a somewhat happy family. Dagmar remembered taking Illyana and Adilla on an excursion to Naboo. Adilla loved to run through the grass barefoot while her mother chased behind her. He smiled at the thought. _What had gone so terribly wrong? I guess we will never know what really happened to her?_

As hard as it had impacted Dagmar to believe his little girl was dead, he knew it had impacted his wife more. At their silent dinner table, he'd catch her making glances to the empty third chair as if hoping, by some miracle, little Adilla would be there again, making them laugh. He'd see Illyana braiding her hair absently as Adilla had done in the summertime, weaving flowers into the velvety dark to "make it pretty", as she'd always said with a grin.

Dagmar knew that chair would never be filled. He had lost all hope of ever seeing his precious daughter again. Illyana turned and looked at him when she realized he was no longer following her.

"Come along, husband," she said, tiredly holding out a hand. Her voice was weary, with no tone or inflection. Her once-brilliant eyes were dull and Dagmar felt a slight pang in his heart as he took her outstretched hand and held it tightly.

"Don't worry. I'm coming," he said softly. Gently Dagmar took his wife's hand and they began to walk towards their room. "You have got to move on Illyana. She isn't coming back. You know as well as I that she is probably dead."

"I still dream she will return." No more was said as they entered their bedroom. The couple unpacked their things quietly, a familiar and gentle silence filling the house, interrupted only by the rush-rush of their feet on the durasteel flooring as they moved about and the swish of the wardrobe door opening and closing. Illyana refused to look in the mirror in the back of the wardrobe. In her reflection, she would only see her daughter, as she always did.

Dagmar began to unpack the electronic equipment from the largest metal case. He had become so accustomed to its familiarity the last several standard years. It was his escape from the heartache he felt. He stopped suddenly and looked at his wife. "I just realized what day it is...the Mando should have already carried out the hit. I hope he followed the orders exactly as it was written."

Illyana looked out the window and counted mentally, as women are good at doing. "Yes, you're right. But, was he not supposed to report to us?" She turned to him, her face suddenly as if she were on one of their missions. She was no long a mother, or a wife, only an assassin. "If he isn't here in the hour, we shall send word that he has failed." She rolled her eyes. "I knew he should have sent the other one."

The hit had been ordered by none other than Darth Vader himself. The Mains had discovered Bez Chatok, a hidden Jedi Knight and her Padawan son, who had somehow managed to escape Order 66, were living right under their noses on Iridonia. They had first asked for Boba Fett in particular knowing his skill at taking out prime targets. Vader already had him on assignment and called in Sybegh Carthage, an understudy of the famous bounty hunter who learned his skills while keeping his distance from the famous Mandalorian.

"Can you imagine," hissed Illyana under her breath, "having to report a failed hit on Chatok to Lord Vader? He'd have our heads." She was about to say something more when the door chime began to ring three times.

Dagmar looked at his wife. "Who could that be? No one knows that we are home?" he said as he turned to walk to the front door.

Illyana was silent._ Three rings_.._. three rings of the door chime done telekinetically_... _A game of hide and seek in the house on a rainy day_... Giggles from around the corner... Three rings of the door chime done telekinetically... "Come find me, Mommy..." ... It wasn't possible. She broke from her daydream and pushed past her husband to the door and threw it open.

Standing there with a tear-streaked face was their daughter. Dagmar had to do a double-take to recognize her. She had grown and matured these last five years. Part of him wanted to pull her to his chest a hold her. Another wanted to shake the life out of her for the misery she had caused.

"Hi, Mommy," she said softly. "Daddy, I... I'm home."

Dagmar stood speechless trying to decide exactly how to respond. Finally, he reached out and grabbed his daughter, holding her close to his chest the way he did when she was little. He kissed her on top of the head and began stroke her chocolate-colored hair. He realized he had missed her even more than he had imagined. He wanted to hold her forever.

She tensed at first at his unfamiliar touch, but as she inhaled his familiar scent of fresh air and juna berries, her arms went around him and she pressed her face against his chest. "I missed you, too, Daddy," she whispered. Illyana came up and wrapped her arms around the both of them.

"We're so happy to have you home," she murmured. "Our little girl."

Dagmar was the first to ask the question.

"What happened to you and where have you been?"

Adilla searched for a reasonable answer to his question. What could I say that would be believable? "I was kidnapped. They beat me and left me for dead. When I awoke, I couldn't remember anything…my name, where I lived…I was completely lost. I wandered around the outskirts of Capital City and finally found a nice old lady who let me stay with her. She eventually died and I just stayed there. Until today"…her voice trailed off and tears began to roll down her cheeks. Real tears associated with the death of her beloved Master. She could never tell them about Bez or Silas for that matter.

Dagmar and Illyana knew their daughter. They had told enough lies of their own as spies to recognize one when they heard it. Dagmar gave a knowing glance to Illyana and they let the subject drop.

Hours passed with nothing more of what had happened during Adilla's absence. They talked about when Adilla had been little, the first ten years of her life. She didn't talk about where she'd been. They didn't talk about what they'd done and yet, no time had passed at all. Adilla was laughing and smiling and Illyana and Dagmar were so happy to have her home and filling their lives with joy again.

It was much later that Adilla retreated down the hall to her bedroom. It hadn't changed since she'd been there last. She shut the door and Illyana and Dagmar were left to their thoughts.

They retreated into their own room where they could talk freely. Dagmar's mind was spinning with thoughts. Adilla was holding something back and he knew it. What it was escaped him. Something had to be done. "What do we do?" he queried of his wife.

"I don't know. Let us keep her here for a while, let her get used to it here again. Then, we can try getting something out of her about where she has really been. If we press too hard right now, she might take off again.

Dagmar nodded in agreement. His wife was right."

"We could use the Bavo," he suggested. Bavo 6 was a truth serum that they used frequently to get information from suspected rebel sympathizers. The compound caused extreme paranoia in those who were injected.

"Do you really want to see her tormented like that?"

"Do you want to find out what she is trying to hide from us?" he retorted.

"And what if it is something we don't want to hear or believe about our daughter?"

"We'll deal with that when we know the truth. Let's turn in. We are both exhausted and it has been a long day. We can decide what to do tomorrow after we have rested."

"Sounds like a plan." Illyana turned down the covers of their bed and climbed in. She was fast asleep before her head hit the pillow.

* * *

Silas walked around the ship searching for the living quarters. This was going to be his first time being a "pilot" and he could feel his heart racing. When Silas finally found the living quarters, he set the chest down on the bed and walked out towards the cockpit.

The buttons and dials beeped and lit up on the dash and the screen showed thousands of stars as The Redemption raced through space. Silas walked to the pilot's seat and sat down, looking at the data pad in front of him.

Silas took a deep breath to calm himself. Silas looked at the droid as it started tweeting and beeping. "Sorry," he said. "I don't speak droid." Screech made an impatient sound as it moved across the cockpit towards his data pad. He extended a small silver tool and installed something onto the data pad then puttered away again. He tweeted impatiently. Words started to appear on the screen. "Will this do, kid?"

Silas shot the droid a look and thought to himself, And Thoran though TC-23 was the most annoying droid…well, he was mistaken. "Don't call me kid" he told the droid.

"Kiddo?"

"Silas" he said in a low growl.

"I like kiddo." The droid seemed to be playing with him and Silas could almost see his smirk.

"I don't."

"I'm the one steering this ship," the droid twerped. "Therefore, I can call you whatever I'd like. And I like kiddo."

Silas gritted his teeth suppressing his anger.

The droid gave a series of tweets that didn't show up on the data pad. He was laughing. "Sorry about that," the droid said. "But you're okay, kiddo."

"If you don't shut it, I'll get a new droid as soon as we land on Agamar"

"I just complimented you!" he insisted. "Come on... I like you!"

"Sorry, I guess I'm not in the joking mood at the moment."

"Well, lighten up, kiddo. I love jokes! What did the droid say to the Jedi?"

"What?"

"Hey kiddo!" The droid laughed again and Silas rolled his eyes.

"I'm seriously going to get your central processor inspected, maybe have it replaced if I have enough credits." With that Silas looked at screech and said, "I'm going to my quarters to rest. You know where to find me if you need me."

"Come on ... That was comic gold!" the tiny droid insisted. "Jeez ... You're worse than Thoran..." He beeped a little that showed up as a gibberish and jumbled on his screen. "Go on and get some sleep. You're no fun."

Silas arose from his seat and walked out of the cockpit leaving Screech to fly the ship. How Thoran was able put up with that blasted droid for all those years was beyond his understanding. As he walked he inspected the ship for any signs of danger.

Screech was left alone in the cockpit and was muttering to himself something along the lines of, "Teenage Jedi...pssh..." After a while he rolled around and turned to follow Silas, trusting the ship to serve itself and knowing that he'd feel any sign of danger or distress and puttered into Silas's living quarters.

From behind him, Silas could hear the droid following him. "Great I get to hear more idiotic jokes from Screech" he thought to himself. When he reached his living quarters he looked at the chest he had laid on the bed.

Screech rolled in behind him and made a series of chirps. Silas read out on his data pad, "Got all of your dresses and shoes in there?"

"The only clothing I brought is what I'm wearing right now, so I suggest you stop before I lock you out of my quarters, " he said sharply

"Jeez, kiddo. Lighten up. You're acting like you just lost your best friend."

Silas closed his eyes hold back the sense of loss he felt for his mother. "I lost my mother and the closest thing I ever had to a sibling, so that's the least of my concerns Screech."

"But you've got me, now. I'm not gonna get lost." The droid puttered over to him and bumped his leg a little. "Just so long as you lighten up a bit. Jeez."

Silas patted the little droid's domed head. "Thanks Screech."

"Now, now... Don't get all sentimental. I don't do that stuff. Now, seriously, what's in the trunk, kiddo?"

"Both my lightsabers and my mom's, along with some other some stuff that my mother brought with her when we left for Iridonia" he explained.

"What's the importance of it? Why didn't you bring something... I don't know, important? Like more clothes? Why some rickety old chest with a few motherly trinkets?"

"Look, kiddo, that chest is nothing. What's gonna get you to your dad is this ship and some logic on your part. Now, get some sleep. You have a long few days ahead of you."

Silas nodded and moved the chest off the bed so he could rest.

Screech puttered over to the corridor and as he was going out to the cockpit the lights turned out, leaving Silas in blackness, alone but for his thoughts.

Taking a deep breath he closed his eyes and was fast asleep in mere seconds.

Screech stood in the cockpit, watching and keeping an eye on the controls as they zoomed through the stars.

* * *

After an extremely short and restless night for Dagmar, he sat on the edge of the bed. His mind would not ease from thoughts of Adilla and her secret. He glanced over his shoulder at his wife and secretly wished he was sleeping as soundly as she. It seemed that this was the first restful night Illyana had had since Adilla went missing.

He remained there for quite a while debating whether or not to use the Bavo Six. On one hand, if they used the serum they would know what Adilla was hiding from them. On the other hand, using that serum meant watching her convulsing and then paralyzed with fear. Dagmar was not one to struggle with being decisive about things, but this situation had him hesitant to rush to any one decision. Running the options through his mind once more, he came to a firm decision. He would use the serum the minute that Adilla came out of her room regardless of the outcome. He had to know the truth.

He arose from his bed and went to the wardrobe, pressing the buttons on the control panel to reveal the durasteel case on the top shelf. He grabbed the handle and carried it down a hallway. He arrived at a door and punched in a code then looked into the optical scanner. The door slid open revealing his workshop. Tables were fastened to the walls and tools were scattered around on each of the table tops. Dagmar placed the case in an empty spot on the nearest table and unfastened the latches.

He selected the smallest hypo needle and loaded the Bavo Six into the hypo cylinder. He placed the Bavo Six vial and closed the case. Holding the hypo up to the luma strips, he looked at the blue liquid as it swirled inside the hypo and wondered if he was making the right decision. He then placed the hypo into the pocket of his robe and made his way for the kitchen to make himself some caff and wait for Adilla to awaken for the day. He sat at the table in the small kitchen listening for his daughter, all the while planning his strategy for injecting his daughter with the serum.

Adilla walked in tiredly a few moments later. She was still wearing the same clothes she'd arrived in the day previous. Though, her hair had been braided before bed and was now messy and tousled. "Morning, Daddy," she said softly, walking up to him and hugging him gently and somewhat awkwardly as he was sitting and she stood.

Dagmar pulled his daughter into a warm embrace. He reached into his pocket for the hypo and quickly injected the serum into her arm. He quietly whispered, "I'm sorry, Adilla."

Adilla felt a stab of pain as the needle pierced her vein and she pulled back from him, frowning, her brows furrowing in the middle. "Daddy? What was..." Suddenly her eyes got wide and fearful as she looked at him. The serum had entered her bloodstream.

An instant later, Adilla dropped to the floor of the Main's kitchen thrashing about kicking chairs and the table legs. Dagmar hated seeing Adilla in this state, but knew it was vital for her safety.

She couldn't scream, but Dagmar almost wished that she could. Her silence was eerie. He hadn't thought that it would affect him as much as it did. His daughter, he realized, was different than a target or prisoner.

Moments later, Illyana woke to the the noise in the kitchen and rushed to see what was happening. When she arrived and saw Adilla on the floor, her heart stopped at the sight. She was so used to the serum's effects on those that they interrogated. However, she could never have prepared herself for the stab in her heart she felt at seeing those same effects on her own flesh and blood. She looked at her husband and burst into tears.

Dagmar was speechless. "Illyana, I... I..." He swallowed and set the syringe on the table. "We had to know, my dear. You know as well as I that we did." He walked up and pulled her into his arms. "I'm sorry." He held onto his wife for dear life, knowing that she had been through so much during their lives together.

Illyana clutched at her husband, swallowing hard, forcing herself not to go and comfort her daughter. She knew it would only make things worse. Still, her heart ached at seeing her precious daughter in fear of pretend and unseen demons.

After a short time, Adilla sat up and scooted herself to a corner in the kitchen. She clutched her knees and lowered her face onto her arms, trying to force away the nightmarish visions she began seeing.

Flashbacks of the death of Master Bez flooded Adilla's mind as the serum took an even greater effect on her. Suddenly and without pretense, Adilla began to tell her parents the events that lead up to Master Bez's death.

"I...I had been training!" she screamed. "And I slipped, hurting my hands. I went to find Silas and he used the last of the bacta! It's my fault she died! We could've saved her. I could've...should've stopped the Mandalorian! I'm sorry, Master Bez! I'm sorry!" The serum made her see Master Bez, shaking her head at Adilla disapprovingly. Adilla put her head in her hands, screaming and crying, trying to hide from the demons around her.

Upon hearing Adilla's confession, Dagmar knew what Adilla had been trying to hide from them. He felt his heart rent in two. Adilla had betrayed them both by joining with the rebel scum that he and his wife been hunting. How could she have done this to us? Then, the reality of their situation washed over him...Lord Vader. He had to protect his daughter.

"I just wanted to be a Jedi," he heard his daughter sob. Dagmar looked to Illyana at the word and felt both of their hearts start to race at once.

Now he knew they didn't have a choice. Either of them. Blood may've been important, but Dagmar knew where his true loyalties lay. Dagmar then looked at Adilla and firmly said, "Enough...We have heard enough."

Her eyes were wide and she shut them tightly again and covered her ears again, sobbing quietly.

With that, Dagmar passed a knowing glance toward Illyana. They both knew the drill, but this one had to be handled delicately. He knew his duty to the Empire, but he also did not want to lose his daughter in the process. He walked over to Adilla and helped her to her feet.

Illyana rushed to embrace her daughter. She knew the effects of the serum would be out of her system shortly and that exhaustion would sweep over her in its wake. She began to walk Adilla to her room.

When they arrived, Adilla was already half-asleep against her mother's arm. Illyana settled her into bed, pulling the covers up to Adilla's chin, and gently brushed the stray hairs off her face. The woman pressed her lips to the girl's temple. Then she stood and walked out, the door shutting behind her.

* * *

Silas tossed and turned as he slept. No matter what he did in his dreams, he felt a growing pain rising in his gut.

Screech was still in the cockpit when he heard Silas call out. He rolled out into the corridor and into the boy's chamber again.

When Silas awoke he shot straight up only to realize he wasn't at home.

His data pad lit up as Screech started chirping. "Calm down, kiddo. You're fine. You're on the Redemption, hurtling through hyperspace. It was just a dream."

Silas looked at his data pad and shot the droid a look. "I wish this was a dream," he murmured.

"Come on. I'm sorry. You were having a nightmare. I'm trying to lighten the mood, kiddo. You really need to wear a yellow robe or something. You're too...dark."

He rolled his eyes with the immense irritation growing toward the droid.

Screech rolled up to his bed and stuck out his probe so that it touched the data pad and lit up with a pale yellow color before turning back to the writing screen. "Ah... I was trying to get it to smile... I guess that's a smile." The droid tweeted a few times and Silas recognized it as his laugh.

"Instead of making me smile, I need you to draw up some plans for me."  
"Fine. For what?"

Drawing deep within the Force, Silas opened the traveler's chest and his Jedi tunic rush to his hand. "A way for me to keep my lightsabers with me, but hidden."

"Can't you just hang them inside your cloak?"

"No I can't."

Silas held the inner tunic in front of Screech's optical sensor. At once, Screech produced a 3D holo-image of the tunic. Silas then explained his intent. He wanted the lightsaber to lay across his triceps on both arms, and to be as inconspicuous as possible with some sort of strap holding them in place.

"It is of utmost importance that the straps on each arm not constrict my movements or be obvious that the sabers are there."

He went on to describe how the fastening mechanism was to be embedded into the tunic.

"The fastening mechanism needs to be connected to both straps holding the sabers. I desire that they only be released into my waiting palms by an act of the Force. If it is possible, I want only my calling on the Force to release them to be effective; otherwise other Force-sensitives would be able to take them from me at will. This would mean both our demise. Understood?"

"Got it, kiddo. Sounds like we both have our work cut out for us."

"I will look around the ship to see what materials I can find to create such a mechanism."

"I'll work on it … you can be sure of that. Considering that it might mean I could be terminated and your life would cease, I believe this is a priority if we both want to stay functional. I am sure you will be satisfied with my design, kiddo." He puttered out of the room again, a series of low twerps and tweets sounding and showing up on Silas's pad as gibberish. Screech was muttering.

As the door to Silas' private quarter slid shut, he felt a sense of relief as he thought to himself, Finally, a moment to myself and my thoughts without that bucket of bolts interrupting me. Hopefully, that little task will keep him busy and out of my hair for a while. Silas needed some time without the droid's constant prodding to meditate and together his own thoughts and plans for the moment they reached Agamar.

Illyana met Dagmar in their bedroom. Both stood silent looking at one another and shaking their heads. Suddenly, Illyana burst into tears.

"She betrayed the Empire, Dagmar...she betrayed us. She knew what we were and what we did. Why would she hurt us like this?"

Dagmar grabbed his wife and held her as she sobbed into his chest. He knew what had to be done and yet he again was hesitant to be overly hasty. There had to be a way to inform Lord Vader and preserve the life of their daughter at the same time. He could not bear to see his wife suffer any longer nor could he live with himself if he allowed Lord Vader to have her killed.

"You do realize that we will have to notify Lord Vader. He will want information soon. We never heard from the Mandalorian. We can use that to our favor. We need to investigate and find out what happened to him."

Illyana looked her husband in the eye. "I think I know just where to start. He had to get to Iridonia on a ship. We need to find out if his ship is still on Iridonia."

"That will work. I will do some checking. "I am going to comm Kadal. He will know if and when the Mando left. That will give us some information for Lord Vader and take his mind off Adilla."

Kadal Yaeth was the Spaceport dock officer in Capital City. He had been a sympathizer for the Empire and the Emperor for a long time. The Mains called upon him many times in the past to help them get off planet and back unnoticed."

Illyana looked unconvinced. "He will find out sooner or later, Dagmar. Just...what will he do to our daughter?"

"Honey, I know that. I am struggling here. We have to find a reason for Lord Vader to allow Adilla to live. That means pulling in all favors and having a flood of intel to give him."

She sighed. "Alright, we'll comm. See what he says. At least we know that Bez is dead. That's at least a bit of good news."

"Yes it is."

Dagmar took Illyana by the hand and walked her to his workshop. He leaned into the optical scanner and then entered the code. With a swish the door opened and they both entered. Dagmar walked to the comm unit. He entered the frequency and Kadal's 3D image appeared. He was dressed in his usual Iridonia Dock Officer uniform..gray shirt, black pants and gray hat with the Iridonia Spaceport insignia imprinted on the front.

"Dagmar, how can I be of assistance?" the image queried.

"Kad, we really need some information from you. This is extremely urgent. I hate to ask it of you knowing all the channels you have to work through to pull records of inbound and outbound flights. We need to know about a ship that was piloted by a Mandalorian. We need to know when his ship arrived and if it has left. Can you get that for us? We will owe you one for it."

"Sure, Dag...We go back a long ways and you have stuck out your neck for me plenty. I will do some checking and have the intel you need within the hour."

"Thank you, Kad," came the female voice of Illyana over the comm.

"Not a problem. I will get to you in a bit." The image of Kadar faded and the Mains sat looking at one another.

* * *

Kadar stood and thought for a moment. _How could he get information or pull records that quickly without alerting Rebel sympathizers?_ All of the sudden it hit him like bolt from a stun blaster...TC-23. That blasted droid doesn't miss a thing. If a Mandalorian landed in our spaceport, 23 would know.

"Fierfek, of all droids to deal with," he muttered reaching for his comlink. When he felt a small piece dura steel in his grasp he pulled it out and activated it.

A small beep came from the device meaning it was active. "23, I need you in my office immediately."

TC-23 heard the voice of Kadar and stopped all he was doing to listen intently to the Dock Officer. It wasn't often that Officer Kadar commed him, but it thrilled him to be needed.

"Whatever do you need, Officer Kadar? I will be happy to oblige, afterall that is my primary programming function. Although, I would like to report that I was due for an oil bath by Thoran and I am still awaiting that much needed refreshment..."

"I'll explain when you arrive. Now, get moving before I deactivate you."

"Oh dear, that will not be necessary. I apologize if I have offended you in any way. Thoran was also supposed to go through my central programming to check for any tendencies toward offending sentient beings. It seems I have offended several the last couple of days and that goes against my central function..."

Kadar gritted his teeth and cut the droid off mid-sentence. "Just get in here."

"Yes Officer Kadar, I am on my way."

TC-23 moved at double speed knowing that Kadar seemed very upset. He arrived at the turbo-lift and punched the button for the lower deck of the spaceport. He arrived at Kadar's door and rang the buzzer to his office.

"I have arrived, Officer Kadar."

From inside, Kadar resonated through the durasteel door.

"Come in, 23."

Kadar punched a button located on his metal desk opening the door for the droid.

"I came as fast as my servos would allow, Officer Kadar. I know you must have something important that you wanted me to appear in your office quarters. Most of the time, other sentient beings do not welcome me into their quarters. I am honored that you would see fit to invite me."

"Cut with the formalities, 23. I need some information from you."

"Sir, you could have just commed me for that rather than have me come all the way to your office quarters; however, I am honored that you would actually have me visit you in person…"

Kadar cut the droid off mid-sentence.

"This is strictly confidential, 23. You are to let no one and I mean no one know of this conversation or the information you are going to give me, understood?"

"Oh, yes sir. It is within my programming protocol to obey the direct orders of my superior which in this case would be you, Officer Kadar, therefore, no one shall know of this conversation unless you cease to exist or are replaced."

Kadar could feel his blood begin to boil. He knew that those in the service of Lord Vadar could be killed at any given moment. He didn't want to be reminded of that fact.

"There has been talk around the spaceport and Capital City that a Mandalorian has been spotted. Do you know anything about that?"

"I have seen and spoken to said Mandalorian, Officer Kadar. If you recall Thoran was to check out my central processors due to offending a few sentinent beings. The Mandalorian was one that I seemed to greatly offend. Thank the maker that I am still a functioning droid."

"How exactly did you offend him, 23?"

"I would rather not repeat that very intense conversation if it is all the same to you. Just know that he called me several names that would be considered foul on his home planet."

"No…I can't believe that," Kadar mumbled in a sarcastic manner.

"Oh, yes sir. It is true. I would just rather not repeat that conversation."

"Did the Mando pilot a ship into our port?"

"Yes, I am sure of that fact. Thoran actually was hired to do repairs on his ship, a Ghtroc 720 Freighter."

"And were those repairs completed."

Yes, those were completed. By the way, I would like to file a formal complaint against Thoran for his lack of responsibility in doing necessary maintenance on me. I was to have an oil bath and he was to replace a worn out servo in my left shoulder. Due to his taking on the Mandalorian's repairs, my maintenance has been placed on hold for an extended period of time and I was due over 2.33333 standard months ago."

"Duly noted. I will speak to Thoran as soon as I can. I need you to take me to his ship."

"That is not possible, sir."

"Why is it impossible? That is an order, 23."

"It is not possible because that ship is no longer in our port."

"Why didn't you tell me that earlier?"

"That is not what you asked me, Officer Kadar. My central programming requires that I answer the questions precisely as they are asked. If you would like a more precise answer, I would suggest that you ask more precise questions."

Kadar was now at wit's end with the droid. He took a deep breath and spoke again. "Ok 23, let's start over. When did the freighter leave the port?"

"Precisely 2 days and 36.444444 standard days ago."

"And did the Mandalorian file the flight plan?"

"No, after my initial conversation with him he never returned."

"Then, who filed the flight plan?"

"The spaceport records state "unknown" as the pilot. However, it does state that a co-pilot was assigned a hangar code."

"And who would this co-pilot be?"

"I must say that he is the second sentient being that I seemed to have offended."  
"How did you offend him?"

"He came asking to see Thoran. I was pleased to oblige. I carried out my 2nd duty within my central programming which is to escort those needing assistance to their destination within the spaceport. For reasons unknown to me, he seemed to get irritated at my reference to him as 'young Zabrak.' It is beyond my programming to know the cause of such offense."

"He was a Zabrak?"

Yes, Officer Kadar. He most certainly was a Zabrak. By the view of my optical sensors, he was most likely partly human species and partly Zabrak. He was young although he was tall for a sentient being of his age."

"And he asked to see and speak with Thoran?"

"Yes, that was his request."

"When did this Zabrak come seeking Thoran?"

"Precisely 2 days ago."

"And when did the Zabrak leave the spaceport?"

"Officer Kadar, unfortunately I never saw the Zabrak actually leave the spaceport after speaking with Thoran."

"I need you to comm Thoran for me immediately."

"I cannot do that, sir."

"And just why can't you do that, 23?"

"As you know, Thoran is an accomplished pilot as well as a mechanic. He left 2 days and 44.87654 ago on an outbound flight to parts unknown."

"Very well 23, you are dismissed. Remember this conversation did not happen. In fact, I order you to wipe this conversation from your memory banks."

"Yes sir, I can do that. May I please do the memory wipe after I have returned to my duty post so that if anything goes wrong I will at least be somewhere familiar."

"Of course, 23. You have been a tremendous help."

TC-23 turned and left Kadar sitting at his desk reviewing the notes he had recorded on his datapad. He knew the Mains would be grateful for the information that he was about to give them.

As the turbo-lift door opened, Kadar called TC-23 back into his office one last time.

"23, I need one more thing from you before you head back to your post."

"Of course Officer Kadar, you are my superior officer in charge until you are either replaced or cease to exist."

Kadar gritted his teeth once more at the comment but refused the urge to reply.

"I need you to hook to the central computer so that I can get a scan of your memory drive. I want an image of that Zabrak."

"I will certainly oblige; however, there is only an 83.12765% chance that you will be able to access the memory files. That is another issue that I would like to formally file against Thoran. He was supposed to have check that out 6.3 standard months ago."

"Duly noted 23, if I ever see Thoran again, I will be sure to ask him about that."

TC-23 plugged into the central memory system and a still holo-image appeared on his data-pad.

"Gotcha, Chatok!"

* * *

Illyana and Dagmar were still sitting in the workshop. Almost an hour had passed and they were getting anxious.

"Where is he?" Illyana asked for umpteenth time.

"Be patient my dear. It's a lot of work for one man"

"He should work faster," she commented bitterly. She drummed her fingers on the table impatiently.

"You're acting like he has all of our skills."

Illyana couldn't help it; she smiled. "Which he obviously doesn't."

Kadar punched in the frequency of his friends, the Mains.

Illyana's face lit up as she heard the sound of the call.

"Answer it, Dagmar!"

Quickly, Dagmar activated the comm unit and a holo-image of Kadar appeared.

"So, what did you find?"

llyana came up behind him, quivering with anticipation.

"I have a wealth of intel for you both, Dag."

Illyana grinned.

"Well let's hear it."

"I am downloading a data-card now with the intel to send you and downloading the files straight to you. Seems that our Jedi Zabrak has taken to space. The Mando never returned."

Illyana shot Dagmar a look that said 'Told you so'.

"He has the Mando's ship. I would guess that the Mando is no longer with us."

"The Zabrak?" queried Illyana.

"Where is the Zabrak going?" Dagmar asked.

"Yeah, Illyana...the Zabrak Jedi. The flight plan filed with the spaceport said something about a flight to Agamar. The bad news is that he has over 2 days head start."

Illyana cursed.

"But here is the good news, if you can call it that. I have his holo-image."

Illyana lifted a curious eyebrow. "You don't think..."

"It is him," Dagmar said. "Kad send the image immediately"

"You think it's Chatok's son?"

"Yeah, I think it is Chatok's son. He came to the spaceport looking for Thoran the same day that the Ship was last seen. I have uploaded the files for you and you can pull them whenever you like. They are encrypted of course. By the way, Thoran is missing too. You might want to check up on him. I would have never figured on him being a Rebel sympathizer, but these days Rebel scum seem to run rampant."

"Right. Well..." Illyana looked at her husband. "I guess he has to know."

"I hope the info will help you both. I owe you both so much. It is one way I can repay the debt I owe you. Listen, TC-23 is comming me to death. Seems we have an issue in one of the hangars with a bothan and a twi'lek. If I don't get there soon, I am going to be picking up TC parts all over the spaceport. Let me know if I can do anything else for you."

With that, Kadar's image disappeared, leaving Dagmar and Illyana staring at one another.

"We have to tell Vader," they said in unison after a moment.

"Yes, we do. At least we have a lead on Chatok's son. That should be enough to keep Lord Vadar somewhat under control. I hope it will be enough to keep Adilla alive," Dagmar said with a creased brow.

Illyana sighed. "You know we have to tell him she was training with them, too, right?"

"Yes, that is the part that worries me the most. Maybe we can offer her to the Empire's service somehow. Surely, there is something that can be done."


	7. The Reception

**Chapter 7**

**The Reception**

Marek lifted the Rogue Shadow with its repulsors and exited the familiar cave inside the asteroid. His mind turned with thoughts of his conversation with Juno. He no longer felt so plagued with his dread of meeting the strange figure from his vision. Juno's comment about his anger being directed toward others was in reality his anger with himself had struck a nerve and was not about to allow him any relief. _Do I believe in myself? Is there anything there to believe in anymore?_

These thoughts were what he carried away from his conversation with her, as well as his disappointment that he had allowed his own emotional distance keep him from expressing how much he truly loved and needed Juno. _ Why is it so hard for me to express any emotion except anger? Is there any hope for me to express to Juno how I really feel about her? Is there any chance of us ever really being together?_

Soon, the heartache he was feeling was almost oppressive. He set a course for Dantooine, flipped the switch for auto-pilot and went to his meditation quarters. He had to find peace for his troubled mind and wounded heart. He walked into the quarters and closed the door behind him out of habit.

Falling to his knees, he took a deep breath and was soon enraptured deep in meditation. His mind began to recall fits of anger. Juno's word's flooded his thoughts, "maybe you are not really angry at anyone but yourself. You just use everyone else as an excuse for your anger." He allowed his mind to concentrate on that thought. Juno was right. He did direct anger at others when in fact he was angry at himself. Now, the question was how to turn this misdirected anger around and deal with what he felt about himself.

He had allowed himself to be controlled by everyone in his life. It all traced back to his original training with Vader. He had to deal with his hatred and anger of Vader, but more importantly he had to let his anger and disappointment with himself come to an end. Of all the battles and lightsaber duels he had ever been a part of, this mental and emotional battle was one he felt he would never defeat.

An alarm sounded that notified him of his approach to Dantooine and brought him out of his trance. _How do I let that anger and disappointment in myself go? Is there a secret that seems to evade me like the hooded figure in my vision?_

He made his way back to the cockpit of the Rogue Shadow and initiated the cloaking devices that allowed him to come and go without having to get proper flight clearance and prepared to enter the secret cavernous hangar designed specifically for his spacecraft.

He telekinetically opened the cave entrance and lowered the Shadow on its landing struts using his repulsors. He then quickly ran through the shut-down procedures and secured the cockpit switching on the alarm system that he had installed as a warning of intrusion when he was in the fields or in his home. He had been out of practice using the alarm system, but after his vision of the hood figure, he knew he couldn't be too cautious.

He exited the craft and raised the boarding ramp and began to make his way out of the cave and back home. He stopped in his tracks as a thought occurred to him. If this hooded figure were to appear, how would he defend himself? He knew where he needed to go and what to do when he made it there.

He made his way to the main field where he had tried to bury his past in a durasteel crate. Using his incredible telekinesis abilities, Marek pulled the buried crate from the ground beneath a large patch of kilba greens. He drew the crate higher over the greens and continued to levitate it and move it forward as he walked the distance back to the farmstead. _Maybe this is the Force's way of leading me to defeat my self-loathing. After all, it led me back to this case._

* * *

Thoran couldn't believe he made it off planet in time. His sources had warned him that someone within the spaceport in Capital City had accessed reports of his whereabouts, as well as his work on the Mandalorian's ship.

After receiving the intel, he knew it would only be a matter of time before he would be hunted for the information that he possessed. He wasn't about to betray the Rebel Alliance in which he believed so strongly and he would die before betraying his best friend's son.

Prior to Silas' departure, he had stored his typical gear in his YT-2000 light freighter that he had taken special care to modify. The stock model was one of the fastest freighters in its class, but Thoran had made quite a few modifications to its sub-light engines, as well as its hyperdrive. There was not a fighter craft that could match its speed, maneuverability, and firepower.

Thoran had also added cloaking devices to his prized ship. This made arriving and departing unannounced a regular occurrence for him. He sped away and kicked in his modified hyperdrive engines causing the stars to streak in lines of light that stretched across the galaxy ahead and behind Thoran's ship. He knew it would be close, but he had to try to outrun Silas to Agamar.

Using the secret frequencies that had not be deciphered by the Empire, Thoran began making inquiries to the network connections he had established over the years to transport Rebel sympathizers to distant worlds where they could be free from the tyranny of the Empire. With each individual he commed, he became more and more alarmed. Many of the critical individuals who were both close friends and those who most trusted had been discovered and turned over to the Empire for torture and inevitable death. His heart grew heavy with the knowledge that he had been part of the cause of their fates. He was most concerned when he was unable to reach Frox or any of his associates on Agamar. He tried to convince himself that this didn't necessarily mean that Frox had been discovered, but his heart told him differently.

Thoran and Frox had both trained together at the Academy and had come to develop a similar distaste for the Empire after Order 66 had been issued by the Emperor. Frox, who Silas was to meet on Agamar, was the closest friend Thoran had outside of Silanaeus. He had to get to Agamar to save both Silas and Frox, even if it meant losing his own life in the process.

* * *

Silas pulled the data-card from the pocket of his pilot's jacket. Thoran had slipped him the card just before he boarded the Redemption to leave Iridonia. He slipped the card into the slot on a data-pad and an image of his father appeared in a 3D image. Silas almost dropped the data-pad at the sight of his father's image. It had been so long since he had last seen his father, but he looked exactly the same as Silas remembered him. His heart swelled with emotions. The thought of being united with his father was an occasion he had dreamed of often; however, the reunion in his dream was reuniting his whole family...dad, mom, and son. He would have never expected to be making this trip to finally be with his father without his mother and Master. The bittersweet emotions brought tears to his eyes.

Without warning the 3D image began to speak. It was most certainly Silanaeus Chatok, his father. His confident tone, gleaming yellow eyes and stern expression brought back memories of his childhood. Because Silas was part human and part Zabrak both parents desired for Silas to embrace both cultures and heritages. His father taught him an appreciation of warrior skills and hand to hand combat, but also his artistic flair and creative ingenuity. Although Silas never mastered his father's artistic aptitude, he did gain a creative side nonetheless. Silas was good working with his hands. He could create new gear and devices without much effort. His mother wanted him to embrace his humanity. She pressed into his young mind to control his impulsiveness, to think things through to the fullest extent possible before acting and to love the beauty of music and the natural world. He was still impulsive by his mother's standards, but by Zabrak standards he did slow down to think things through. Music was his passion, no matter the style or the artists from around the galaxy. When he worked, he had some sort of music playing.

"Silas, if you are watching and listening to this message then I know something terrible has happened to your mother. This is a very hard message for me to even record for you. Know that I love both of you more than you can imagine and I had hoped we could be a family long before this. I have worked non-stop to make that happen. I have missed seeing you grow up, my son. This data-card that you are reviewing was programmed to recognize who is actually watching. Had something happened to you, Silas, a similar message would be playing for your mother.

Knowing that you made it to Thoran to even get this data-card means you are well on your way to me. You can trust Thoran. He has been one of closest family friends since long before I met your mother. I am sure she told you the story of how Thoran and I met. He will not steer you wrong. Follow his instructions exactly as they were given to you.

Most of all, Silas my son, be very careful. You must take all the training that your mother imparted to you and use it to the best of your ability. I expect to see you very soon. When you arrive on my planet, I will be there to greet you. You can expect a very long embrace from your father. I have missed you so much and I look forward to spending time with you. The network that Thoran has created will get you here safely. Do not carry anything on your person that would suggest you are a Force-sensitive or Jedi. You will need to have multiple disguises and keep a low profile until we are together. Know that whatever has happened to your mother, I grieve with you. I love you, Silas. I always have and I always will. I'll see you very soon."

At the close of Silanaeus' message, smoke poured from the data-pad as the data-card melted._ Mom always said you had a plan for everything and always thought of everything, too_. He half-way wished the card would not have had the melt-away feature stored in its programming. He would have liked to have watched the holo-image again._ I'll see him soon enough and that will be better than an old holo-image._

Placing the data-pad on the bed, Silas arose from his form-chair and walked to the door. Time to get the components I need for my tunic. Quickly, Silas pressed the button on the control panel and stepped through the door as it opened. Hoping to avoid a conversation with Screech, Silas did everything he could to stay out of range of the droid's proximity sensors by staying away from the from the cockpit.

Immediately, he found the Starboard cargo hold and he picked up his pace as he walked toward it. When he arrived, Silas pressed a button on the door and entered the hold. His eyes went wide as realized how well Thoran had supplied him with extra parts that he might need in case the ship malfunctioned. As he scanned the room, he saw row after row and stack after stack of durasteel containers that had been sloppily placed into the hold. _Fierfek! What all did Thoran give me to work with._ Looking around again, Silas thought to himself, _Mom would go ballistic if she saw this mess._ Out of habit, Silas reached out with the Force and lifted several containers and placed them in front of him.

After several hours of organizing, lifting and stacking, Silas finished cleaning the hold. He felt tired, but also a bit rejuvenated from the rush of the Force and having something to take his mind off of the past events of the week, as well as having a break from Screech's incessant pestering.

Feeling like he had made significant progress, Silas left the starboard cargo hold and quietly walked around the reactor core at the stern of his ship to the port side cargo hold in order to once again stay out of the range of Screech's proximity sensors. He push the button on the control panel which opened the door to the hold. Light panels flashed on and gave Silas a view of the entire room.

Silas smiled like a glit-biter who had stumbled upon a stash of glitterstim. He surveyed the room which was organized and categorized with spare armor parts left by the Mandalorian. He surmised that there had to be at least fifty of each spare items in labeled compartments and bins. He recalled the grapple cord that had tied his mother to the Mandalorian. Although it was thin looking cable, it was strong. He pushed a button that opened a cabinet and found exactly what he wanted and more. There on the bottom shelf was a spool of the cable. The cable was extremely strong. Beside the spool sat a special cutting tool that would slice through the beskar woven cabling.

Silas had found the first of his needed components. Now, he set out to find strips of rancor or nerf leather that could be sewn into place to hold the hilt of his lightsabers. Silas again found exactly what he was looking for. He grinned to himself and let out a light chuckle. He knew Screech had to be painstakingly working to design what he had already worked out in his mind. His goal was to keep the droid as busy as possible for as long as possible. Silas gathered the materials and the spool of cabling and made for the stern once again. Walking around the reactor core, he found himself in a repair bay and machine shop.

He laid his supplies on the table and busied himself constructing the leather bindings for each arm that the lightsabers would be fastened to. As Silas worked the release mechanism, he truly realized that he had his father's ingenuity when it came to constructing new devices. He found that for his mechanism to work, he had to have a small spring loaded pulley system which he had seen in the starboard cargo hold. As he turned to leave, a familiar buzzing sound grew closer to him. Screech...no way to avoid him. In rolled the orange and white R2 unit.

Silas soon remembered that he had left his data-pad on his bed in the living quarters. "Sorry, pal. Looks like we can't communicate right now...no data-pad."

Inwardly, Silas felt relieved and smiled to himself. Screech stopped in his tracks and a 3D holo-image appeared showing a flawed version of the tunic. Silas approached the image peering closely as if he were evaluating the design.

"Nice try, Screech, but your design is flawed. If the lightsabers hang that low on my triceps, they will be bumping against my elbows. Can't have that, can we?"

The droid tweetled in outrage and Silas was glad he didn't have his data-pad because he had a feeling the droid was using words he wouldn't want to repeat. Again, he smiled inwardly knowing that he was making the droid's existence as miserable as he had caused Silas' to be.

"Go try again..remember my lightsabers cannot hang too low to impede my movements or too high to be detected under my robe. I really expected more from a droid of your caliber. How long did you work for Thoran? Oh, that's right...no data-pad, so no answer from you. Maybe later..."

Screech turned and headed back toward the cockpit making louder pitched chirps and tweetles as he rolled along. Silas knew that he would probably get all this in return when he had his data-pad with him, but for now he could work in peace.

Silas made his way back to the starboard side cargo hold and pushed the button on the control panel. He went straight to the container that he had taken note of which contained pulleys and rivets. He grabbed the smallest one he could find. He was ecstatic when he examined it and found it to be spring loaded. His next need was to find small cylindrical pins that he could attach to the ends of each side of the cable. These would fit into an exact size hole in the hilts which would keep the lightsabers in place. His plan was to only have the pins release the lightsabers which were drawn from the hilts by the cabling system telekinetically. He would then call the lightsabers to both palms as they fell through the sleeves of his robe. He was certain this would work. Searching through the container, he found a durasteel rod that he would slice two small pins out of and work on attaching them to the cable. Satisfied that he had what he needed, he made his went back to the repair bay. He used the cutting torch that hung from a hook along a counter against the back wall to slice the exact size pins that he needed. Using the same torch, he carefully bonded the pins to the cable. Not just anyone could handle a torch as a welder. He was certainly Silaneaus' son.

With the holding pins now firmly in place on each end of the cord, Silas created a large pocket on the back side of his tunic. Using large armor plating from the Mandalorian's stash in the cargo hold, Silas was then able to attach the spring-loaded pulley. He fashioned two rancor leather cross straps that wrapped across his chest and around his waist to keep the armor plating from moving around. Both sets of straps buckled in the front. Once the straps were in place and tested, Silas then placed both lightsaber hilts into the bindings around his triceps. Drawing on the Force, he put the pins in place and locked the lightsabers to his arms.

All he had left to do was create a second layer of covering, so that the cable and pulley system would not be visible. He turned to make his way to his quarters and almost fell over Screech. Silas was surprised by droid's stealthy approach. Screech let out a series of twirps and tweetles in response to almost being knocked over by the young Zabrak.

"Oh, hey Screech. Sorry, I didn't hear you come up behind me."

Screech let loose with another series of tweets and chirps that Silas had no desire to have interpreted. Suddenly, the chirping ended and another 3D holo-image appeared of the droid's second attempt to make plans for the tunic that Silas almost had complete. Silas walked around the droid looking and analyzing the design that the droid had created.

"This one is better Screech, but still is still not quite there, yet. You used strapping that is too big and will be visible under my robe. Your release mechanism is impressive, the cord you have chosen isn't available on my ship and it is too obvious that it's there. Sorry pal, go try again...Third time's a charm."

Screech made an extremely quick reversal and hurriedly turned to head back to the cockpit. Once again the tweets and chirps echoed through the corridor. Silas almost felt sorry for the droid, but as he thought about his first few hours with Screech, Silas' sympathy was short-lived.

Silas headed for his living quarters and pulled out his traveler's chest. Drawing on the Force, he opened the top and took a second, thicker tunic. He walked back to the repair bay ready to complete his project.

He sliced off the arms of the second tunic just above where his lightsabers fastened to the inner tunic. This allowed the lightsabers to fall through the arms of his robe unhindered by a second set of sleeves. He sewed the two tunics together and turned it to examine the front and then the back. It was complete and exactly what he had in mind. He slipped the newly fashion tunic over his head, fastened the straps and slid the lightsaber hilts into each of the bindings on his arms. Drawing on the Force, he drew the cable in and pushed the hilts further into the straps. He released the locking pins and found that the lightsabers were securely fastened to his arms. He walked back to his living quarters and pulled his Jedi robe from the chest. Carefully, putting his arms into the the robe, he felt a great sense of accomplishment that he had created what he originally set out to do. With one smooth motion and drawing on the Force, the lightsabers were drawn to his palms. "Success," he said out loud to himself and a wide toothy grin spread across his face.

Silas heard Screech coming down the corridor to his quarters. "Oh, great...He caught me in my room." He picked up the data-pad that was sitting on his bed and his eyes went wide with shock. He would have never guessed that a droid could use such foul language and in multiple languages to boot. He quickly erased the previous messages as Screech arrived at his door.

"Well Screech, I appreciate your attempts to draw up the plans, but I actually have already created what you have been trying to do."

Silas gave Screech a demonstration and the droid's optical sensor extended and words began to appear on Silas' data-pad.

"Wow kiddo, nice work. You could have told me you were in the process of actually creating the item. I could have spent more time getting to understand your central processing better. Oh, by the way, we will be arriving at the spaceport in Agamar within the next standard hour. I would suggest you stow away your new outfit. Sensors indicate that there has been a disturbance at the spaceport and the presence of increased stormtrooper security has been noted."

* * *

Thoran dialed in one of his many transponder codes for the Freedom and dispatched a comm to the spaceport authorities on Calna Muun.

"Haven, this is spaceport authority of Calna Muun on the planet of Agamar. Please state your intent and anticipated length of stay."

Thoran was surprised to be getting this type of reception from Agamar. The planet was essentially agricultural and flights in and out of the capital city of Calna Muun were frequent running foodstuffs to other planets. This could only mean one thing. Imperials were crawling over the spaceport for whatever the reason. Deep in his gut, Thoran hoped it wouldn't be his doing.

"This is the Haven. I am to pick up a load of Agamarian soy beans to transport to Dathomir. I won't be staying over. I just need to land, have the soy beans loaded and I will be on my way."

"Haven, you have authorization to land at our spaceport. We are uploading your landing coordinates now. You will only have one hour to pick up your load, is that clear?"

"Calna Muun authority, is there a problem?"

"We have a search in progress by Imperials going on as we speak. Our suggestion to you is land and depart as soon as you are loaded with the exports."

"Copy that. Traveling the given coordinates. Thank you for your assistance."

"Enjoy your short stay at Calna Muun."

Thoran's heart was heavy. He knew if Imperials were searching the spaceport that it could only be one thing. They were looking for Silas and Frox. He followed the coordinates for landing at the Calna Muun spaceport and busily began the shut-down procedures for his ship. He had already began scanning the crowds through his cockpit viewport looking for Frox and Silas.

As he completed his final task and hit the control to extend the boarding ramp, he stood from the pilot seat and made his way to the extended ramp. Almost from an all out run, Thoran came to a halting stop. Coming down the walkway between ships in the spaceport was the scene that he had hoped to never witness.

In typical fashion, stormtroopers surrounded and escorted a prisoner in magnacuffs down the spaceport walkway. As Thoran gained a better view, he realized it was the Twi'lek, Frox. He stepped back up his ramp to get out of view of the oncoming procession. Troopers were given instructions to escort Rebel sympathizers in this fashion to make a statement to onlookers. The last thing Thoran needed at this point was to be recognized before he could warn Silas.

As he stepped back into his ship, Thoran's mind raced. There was a plan in place for these types of events. If a network operative is caught or even fears being caught, a small pill, which is to be kept on the operative's person at all times, is to be swallowed. This pill that contained a variant of the Tears of Rist would cause permanent memory loss and a quick death. Why didn't Frox follow through with the contingency plan? If he is still alive, did he betray the whole network? Did the pill somehow fail to bring about the end results?

Thoran shook his head to clear his mind. There was no use in trying to figure all this out now. At the moment, his main concern was Silas. A thought occurred to Thoran and he snapped his fingers, "That's it...Screech! I forgot all about that annoying droid."

Thoran had owned Screech for years. Because his duties on Iridonia demanded that he work on several ships at one time, he and Screech shared an encrypted, private comm frequency. At least that is the explanation he gave the spaceport dock officer, Kadal Yaeth, in Iridonia. Kad was always trying to locate him for dignitaries and friends who needed a quick repair on their shuttles and spacecraft. Thoran always liked these special favors that he did for Kad because of the extra credits he earned for 'rush jobs'.

Thoran reached into his flight suit to the familiar pocket where he kept his C-1 comm link. He had reconfigured the Imperial encryption code with his own personal encryption programming. He spoke quietly into the mic and gave the secret code word that would enact a program within Screech to submit an extremely low energy signal that if intercepted would seem to be two droids communicating with one another about repairs to a ship or where to load supplies in a cargo hold depending on the situation.

Immediately, Thoran's data-pad sprang to life with a map of the spaceport and a small almost inconceivable blip on the screen that would be undetectable to the untrained eye. He had Screech's location. Now, he only hoped that the two of them were together.

* * *

The Redemption pulled into the Calna Muun Spaceport shortly after Thoran had arrived. Neither Screech nor Silas were in any hurry to depart the ship. Silas was still trying to locate Frox unsuccessfully. Every minute that passed, Silas became more and more upset.

He turned to look at Screech, "How am I to locate Frox? Thoran didn't give me any more than his name. Do you have any ideas?"

Screech began to chirp his usual sarcastic reply, then suddenly stopped. The message on the data-pad looked identical to his chirps.

"I'm not Thoran, kiddo, neither do I pretend to..." Screech never completed that sentence. Silas knew that something was up. Screech never missed an opportunity to annoy him.

"What's going on, Screech? Is there a problem I should know about?"

Screech began to chirp like his usual self again to complete the sentence on Silas' data-pad, "...be. How should I know? Oh by the way, I just received a transmission from Thoran. Seems that he is here and trying to locate us."

"Thoran is here...on Agamar?"

His data-pad scrolled with the twirps and tweets of Screech, "Did I not just spell that out for you, kiddo? Let me repeat. Thoran just sent a transmission. He is in Calna Muun. He is searching for us."

Silas rolled his eyes at the message from the droid. "So, how do we locate Thoran?"

Screech chirped again and a message scrolled across the data-pad, "He will find us. I have a low frequency transponder transmitting even as you read this. I sent him our coordinates along with a map of the spaceport. I figure he will be here within 15 to 20 standard minutes. Would you like me to send a welcoming committee, kiddo?"

Again, Silas feeling annoyed rolled his eyes.

"That won't be necessary. Thank you anyway. How bout you go out and wait for him? I will lower the boarding ramp for you. Just comm me the minute you spot him. Got it?"

"Can do, kiddo. Don't wait up for me, though."

Screech turned and rolled down the incline of the ramp. Silas blew a sigh of relief to see the droid leave. Thoran being on Agamar was not a welcome sign. If he truly was here, then something must be up. If it were his plan all along to come to Agamar, then he could have piloted the ship himself. Silas walked back to his quarters with his data-pad and sat on the floor cross-legged. Meditation was something that he needed desperately. Surely, the Force would offer him clues about his next move and give him some needed rest. Soon, he was deep within a meditative state.

Within a few minutes, Silas' data-pad sprang to life with a message scrolling across it. Thoran had arrived at the Redemption and was waiting to board. Silas lowered the ramp to give both Screech and Thoran access.

Silas stood at the end of the ramp patiently waiting for Thoran. Finally, he entered the ship to face Silas. Thoran had a look in his eyes that Silas could not figure out.

"Thoran, what are you doing here?"

"I came to warn you. The network is crumbling. I was alerted by my techno-security that my files in Iridonia had been accessed, as well as my work orders. This ship was called into question. I am afraid that you have been discovered. As I pulled into the spaceport, I saw Frox, who was to be your contact, being escorted by stormtroopers to be interrogated. Silas, he wasn't supposed to get caught alive."

"Caught alive? What are you talking about, Thoran?"

"We have contingency plans for just such occasions as being found out. Our network operatives are to have and swallow a capsule that gives them complete memory loss and eventual death."

"So, maybe Frox did not have the capsule with him."

"Silas, that is part of the issue. Every operative is trained to always carry the capsule on their person. Frox should not be walking now."

"So, what do we do now?"

"The only thing I know to do. Get you off this planet and to your father's care. I will take you there myself. I will send Screech to the Freedom as pilot. He has done this very type of thing countless times. I am personally going to fly this ship to Dantooine. It is the only way to fulfill my obligation to your father."

"Yeah...sure, whatever you think we need to do. You have more experience with this sort of thing than I do."

"Screech, I have uploaded the coordinates for the Freedom to your memory bank. You move that can of yours to the ship and await my comm and no back-talk or sarcastic comments either. We don't have time for that and I certainly don't have the patience."

Screech reversed and headed back down the ramp and into the bustling port. Silas and Thoran stood watching him for a moment, then looked at one another.

"You asked me back on Iridonia why I called him Screech. Have you now figured out why?"

"Yes, and of all the droids in the galaxy..why Screech? He has been the most obnoxious piece of durasteel and electronics, I have ever had to endure."

Thoran laughed a guttural, side-splitting laugh. "Well, you needed a pilot and I needed some peace and quiet. I couldn't take another minute of his eternal back-talk and comments. Just to let you know, I actually had sent him into ships with some of the most hazardous situations possible. Some, I actually caused specifically to rid myself of him. Blast it...the droid has better luck than a million credit sabbac gambler with a rigged deck."

Silas laughed. It was his first real laugh in what had seemed an eternity. "I just about pushed him out the garbage port a couple of times, if I knew I could fly or land this ship alone."

"That is something I wanted to talk to you about. Considering this is now your ship, you need to know how to fly it rather than having to rely upon a droid. What'd you say I give you some lessons, kiddo? It's not enough just to say you're a pilot, you need to be a pilot."

"If it means Screech can't hold not being a pilot over my head, then I will gladly learn."

"Oh, he will still find ways of getting under that thick, horned, Zabrak skin of yours, but at least the droid will be have one less way of doing so. Believe me, I have become an expert at lots of things just to get Screech to keep his comments to himself. He is a master at finding the chink in your Mandalorian armor."

Thoran commed the spaceport authority for both ships and rising on repulsor, he headed straight through Agamar's atmosphere. Silas looked back on Agamar through the viewport as the planet seemed to shrink and then was no longer visible.

"Can you believe that droid has been this quiet? Oh by the way, he is on our tail. If he were any closer he'd be in front of us. Just his way of following orders to the letter of the law."

"Or he's just trying to get a good laugh."

"Watch this ... I am about to show you a trick for this type of situations. I call it ion dusting. There is a mechanism that I put on all my ships to clean the ion particles from the drive. With the flip of this switch, his viewport will cloud over with a haze that literally looks like you are floating in a slime pit. Unfortunately, it clears pretty quick so he will survive, as usual. But, at least I will be able to put some distance between us. Hang on."

Silas laughed silently.

"Well, that did it...Screech has now given us plenty of room to work with."

Thoran stood up and motioned for Silas to take the pilot's seat. Silas looked at Thoran. "What? No basic procedures for taking over the controls of a ship?"

"No, kid...I have come to learn that experience is the best teacher. It is all about trial and error, then correction. I am not going to let you fly us into a black hole or an asteroid belt. We are in open space with no one, but Screech around. I will blast him to dust particles before I let us crash into him. Not a bad idea come to think about it. Let's spin this bad boy on him and dust him...what'd ya say?"

"As tempting as that sounds, I have a feeling you'll need a ship to get off of Dantooine and you're not taking mine."

"Ah, I am just kidding you. I don't want to lose my ship. The droid yes...the ship no. So, jump in that seat there and lets see some Jedi magic."

Silas arose and walked to the pilot's chair and took a seat. "And for the record it's not magic. It's the Force."

"Whatever, you know what I mean. You wanna know what I would bet, if I were a betting man?"

"I'd like to hear this."

"Your father was quite a pilot himself. He actually taught me a thing or two when we were kids. My bet is that you have the same affinity for piloting and anticipating the next move like he has."

"You were a kid once?"

"Very funny, kid. You decide to take up Screech's bad habits. Yes, I was a kid once. I assume your mother told you about the tree episode?"

"Sorry Thoran, I had to make that wisecrack, and why do you think I mentioned it back on Iridonia?"

"Well, just so you have more evidence that I was a kid once...Did your mother tell you about your father learning to levitate using the Force?"

"My dad figured out the trick to using the Force for personal levitation?"

"I wouldn't quite call it that. He had been with his Master as a Padawan. He was always stopping by to show me something new that he had learned. I was always fascinated with his growing skills. I secretly wanted to be a Jedi myself, so letting Silanaeus show me his newfound abilities was the next best thing. To make a long story longer, he came telling me that he had learned something new and wanted to demonstrate it for me. I said, 'sure' and he proceeded to pick me up off the ground with the Force, then spin me upside down. He kept me rising in the air for a bit, then he himself rose to meet me. Here is the part that if you tell another soul, I will hunt you down...he then began to shake me furiously and I began to drop credits from my pockets. Using the Force, he swiped them from the air and into his hand. He lowered me and when I was several inches off the ground he dropped me on my head. He boiled over with laughter. When he lowered himself, he said, 'Hey you wanna go get something to drink? It's on me'..using my credits."

Silas laughed so hard he nearly fell out of his chair.

"Your father is as serious a Zabrak as any when it comes to serious matters, but he also knew the benefit of a good laugh between friends. I trust him with my life and he entrusted you and your mother's life to me. I am sorry that I failed him and that your mother was...well, you know..."

Tears welled in Thoran's eyes as he trailed off and looked straight ahead through the viewport. What more can I say to my best friend's son whose mother I was to protect?

"Don't blame yourself. If you had even remotely tried to stop that hunter, you would have died as well, then I'd really be in trouble."

"Ok, enough of that. Let's do some flying. What'd you say?"

Silas nodded and looked console filled with different buttons and switches.

Thoran began to point out control switches and levers and just as he thought, Silas was a natural. He memorized each switch and when quizzed could name it's function and when it was to be used. As for piloting, there wasn't much Thoran had to say or do. After Silas had shown his natural ability Thoran commed Screech to fly out and get into attack position. He made sure that only Screech could hear the coordinates for the attack. Silas anticipated every move and knew where he was most vulnerable, just like his father. Thoran sat back in the copilot's seat in amazement of the skill level of this young Zabrak.

"Are you sure you have never flown a ship?"

"Completely sure, but I did rebuild my speeder bike."

"No kidding? That doesn't surprise me, though. What else have you built?"

Silas gave Thoran a toothy grin.

"Don't tell me I'm about to be dropped on my head or plastered to the wall."

"Don't worry..."

Thoran cut Silas off mid-sentence. "That is what your father always said before he did something like dropping me upside down..."

"I'll show you that tomorrow."

"That's ok, I have seen and done that before. No need for a repeat performance."

Silas laugh quickly engaged the autopilot, arose from his seat, moved behind his chair and closed his eyes. Drawing on the Force, Silas reached out and telekinetically released the twin lightsabers into his waiting palms.

Thoran's eyes widen in wonder at the mechanism that Silas had created.

"So, how does that work?"

Removing his tunic, Silas showed Thoran the mechanism and explained that he used a cutting torch to weld the pins to the cord.

"A cutting torch? That is some nice work, kid. I am impressed. Who came up with the design? That sure looks like a Silaneaus creation, if I didn't know any better."

"It's all mine."

"Again, I say...that is some real nice work."

Thoran set the coordinates for lightspeed travel to Dantooine and commed Screech to alert him to the coordinates that he had sent to the navicomputer. Seconds later, the stars spread into distinct stripes of light.

Thoran looked over at Silas.

"Kid, I would go get some rest while you can. We will be in Dantooine's orbit within a couple of standard hours. You are going to need your rest to land this bird."

With a single nod, Silas walked out of the cockpit and to the living quarters.

* * *

As Thoran watched the stars pass, he thought of the friends he had lost over the years, as well as Frox. He might never know the answers to the burning questions that he had concerning his Twi' lek friend._ Had Frox sold out the network? Why was Frox still living?_

Alarms sounded as the Redemption began to close on the coordinates for Dantooine. Thoran dropped the ship out of hyperspace and the streaking stars began to form the usual specks of light. Dantooine could be seen through the viewport ahead. Thoran never expected to be headed to Dantooine. He had avoided the planet and system for years never wanting to draw attention his close friend living on the planet's surface.

"Hey kid, your father's planet is straight ahead. You might wanna get in here before we get much closer, so you can learn the landing procedure for this craft."

Silas entered with a wide grin on his face.

"I guess you are more ready to see your father than I am and I could just about jump out of the garbage port to get to him at this point."

"You and me both."

"Alright, that switch right there will fire the repulsors. The lever will give them more or less power depending on whether you push it forward or backward. Got it?"

"Got it."

"I hope so. Actually, I'm counting on it. Comm the starport for clearance to land."

Silas did as Thoran instructed and placed his ship directly on his designated landing pad with pinpoint precision. The Redemption set down smoothly on its landing struts and Thoran ran through the shut-down procedures with Silas. Finally, Thoran stood from the copilot's seat and stretched.

"You did good, kid. I think I'll make a good pilot out of you, yet," Thoran said smiling. He pulled the comm unit from his pocket. "Screech, you make your way to the Redemption, stat..no back talk, snide comments or sarcasm...just get your bucket of bolts here on the double and run a complete system's check on this ship, as well as an in-depth bug scan. Alert me if you find anything."

Silas arose from his seat, rushed out of the cockpit and was out of the ship in a matter of seconds.

Thoran ran behind Silas and grabbed him by the collar of his robe.

"Hold it there, kid. You might wanna check out your surroundings before you take off like that. This isn't the safest planet in the galaxy. Vader was brought here once under the control of the Rebel's. Since his escape, there has been an Imperial presence lurking."

Silas went rigid at hearing 'Darth Vader.'

"Yeah, that name does that to me, too. You just have to be careful. Let me comm my contact here and find your father."

Thoran pulled the C1 com link from his flight suit, pressed the activator switch to comm and there was silence on the other end. Thoran looked up at Silas with an expression of horror on his face.

"Silas, I think you need to prepare yourself. My worst nightmare may be coming true."

Silas grit his teeth preparing himself for the news. Thoran grabbed Silas' shoulder, "Let's go see what we can find out about your father."

Together, Silas and Thoran made their way off the Redemption and walked slowly toward the Agro Outpost in Garang. They walked in silence together, each contemplating what the outcome of this day might be and hoping against all hope that soon they would be with Silanaeus, one's friend and the other's father.

Silas kept reaching out with the Force, earnestly trying to touch his father. So far, he was having no success. This was not his strongest skill. His Master and mother had only begun this part of his training with him. It was a sort of hide and seek game that they would play. Bez would have Silas wait inside their home while she would wander away from their home some distance away and have him locate her in the Force and come to find her.

At first, Master Bez would make herself a glowing light in the Force and he had no difficulty finding her. With each success, Bez began to make herself smaller and smaller within the Force, until she was merely a glowing ember. Silas struggled with finding her. The Force flowed through every living and nonliving thing and it seemed to him that there were millions of possibilities just within the small area surrounding their home on Iridonia. The deeper he drew within the Force to locate her, the more frustrated he became. Master Bez would allow enough wait time for him to find her and if he didn't within that allotted time, she would quickly make herself glow in the Force for a moment, then once again make herself smaller. Sometimes, this would be enough for Silas to find her. More often than not, Silas' frustration level at not picking her out of the surroundings had grown so severe that even with her help, he was still unsuccessful. This caused Master Bez great concern.

"Silas, you mustn't allow your frustration and anger with yourself to take root. Remember, fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate and hate leads to the dark side...the path of the Sith."

"Yes Master, I just don't understand why this is so difficult for me. When you are your full self in the Force, I can see you with little to no effort, but when you begin to hide yourself in the Force, I lose all sense of where you are and how to locate you."

"Silas, you are trying to hard. You must clear your mind and heart of all fear, self-doubt, past failures, and past successes. Concentrate on this one objective. The moment you allow all those other emotions to flow through you, your Force sensitivities will begin to lose its strength. You must overcome these emotions, otherwise they will make you ineffective and lead you toward a path of destruction."

The Agro Outpost was bustling with activity which included the tavern. The room was dark save for the few luma-panels above the u-shaped bar in the center of the room. Tables of various sizes and mix-matched stools and form-chairs were filled with pirates, smugglers and traders of all species and from all parts of the galaxy. Around the outer edges of the room were booths that were inset into the walls for private meetings between outlaws. At the far end of the room, a Twi'lek dancer swayed to music from her home planet.

Thoran took a slow look around the room. At first, he saw no one of interest. A Rodian stepped aside from in front of a table and Thoran noticed a familiar face. A fellow smuggler, who he knew had leanings toward the Rebellion, was seated playing a game of sabacc with two other humans. Thoran turned and whispered to Silas to wait for him. As Thoran neared the table, he glanced back over his shoulder to see that Silas had stayed put. This was no place for a young Zabrak and certainly not for the son of his best friend.

Thoran stopped a few paces from the table and tried to appear as one who was just observing a friendly game. He patiently waited for the man with the familiar face to look up and spot him there. It wasn't long before the man took notice of Thoran.

"Hey old friend, I haven't seen you around here in a long time."

"Yeah, been pretty busy lately. How's business for you, Stark?"

"Has slowed a bit, but I am eeking out a living. Well, boys you have cleaned me out of credits. I think I will allow my friend here to buy me a fizzbrew."

Stark stood up from the tables and clasped one arm around Thoran's shoulder. Pulling him closer, Stark asked, "Now, why are you really here?"

"Information.."

"Let's get out of here. If that is what you need, this isn't the place. We can go to my ship's hangar. I sweep it regularly for bugs."

"Sounds like a plan, but I need to get my companion first."

"Ah, finally decided to settle down, eh Thoran?"

"Not that type of companion and no, I haven't settled down."

Thoran looked to Silas who had his hood over his head to remain as anonymous as possible. Thoran motioned with his eyes for Silas to follow. Thoran turned back toward to the entrance with Stark and Silas waited a second or two and then followed the pair into the open air of Garang.

Silas walked along behind confused as the two of them headed back toward the starport. Just as the two arrived at the entrance, Stark took a swift left turn with Thoran in tow and walked around to the backside of the port. Silas increased his stride, so that he did not lose them.

When Silas caught up, Stark was entering a code into a panel on the outside wall of the port that would open a private passageway. Ah...now I see what we are doing. The two men stopped and waited for Silas to join them. All three entered the passage and Stark punched in another code into a panel on the inside wall. The passageway closed and luma-panels immediately brightened to reveal a sizable hangar with a Barloz-class medium freighter in pristine condition.

Thoran's eyes went wide in astonishment. He had worked on Barloz-class freighters in during his years as a mechanic, but he had never seen one in this good of shape. He shifted his gaze from the freighter to Stark, who was smiling from ear to ear.

"Looks like business has been quite good for you, Stark. Didn't you say business had 'slowed a bit' and that you were 'eeking' out a living? Is this what you call 'eeking'?"

Stark chuckled and looked at Thoran.

"I have done well over the years and I married up. My wife inherited a load of credits when her parents passed away, but I know that isn't the reason you are here."

Thoran looked over to Silas who had lowered his hood.

"Let me introduce you to my traveling companion these days. This is Silas."

Stark offered his hand for a shake and Silas obliged.

"A Zabrak, Thoran? You must have some powerful contacts. My name is Stark..Stark Paldine."

Silas smiled at the comment. He was proud of his Zabrak heritage and the respect that it sometimes afforded him.

"So, what information are you needing Thoran?"

"I seem to have lost contact with a friend of mine, Silanaeus Chatok. Do you happen to know his whereabouts these days?"

Stark's smile fell to an expression of a more serious nature.

"Yeah, I know exactly who that is. Darth Vader was captured and brought to Dantooine to be put on trial by the Rebel Alliance. Chatok was assigned as one of his guards. In fact, he was in charge of the whole security detail assigned to Vader. Imperial Special Forces staged a surprise attack the night before the trial was to begin. Chatok saved several of his security detail, who were standing guard that night. Seems that the ISF brought Vader a lightsaber and Chatok had his officers run for cover while he held off Vader and the ISF. Chatok was distracted by something and Vader drove his lightsaber through Chatok's chest. Last I heard, Chatok was in the medical facility, but he was not healing too well."

Silas' and Thoran's hearts fell and tears appeared in both sets of eyes. Thoran swallowed hard and forced back his emotions.

"So, where is this medical facility?" Thoran choked to Stark.

"I will have one of my droids take you there. I would take you myself, but with Imperials still out there and watching for sympathizers...well, you know what I mean..."

"Yeah, we get it, Stark. Thanks for your help."

"Sure...anytime...I will have '5Y' escort you there. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. I hope Chatok is ok. Not much has been said about him since the escape."

"Thanks, we will be heading there now."

Stark called for 5Y, a 5YQ protocol droid and instructed him to get his friends to the medical facility. He walked the three of them back to the secret passage-way and opened the entrance. 5Y led the way as Thoran and Silas followed both unable to speak after hearing the news.

The Garang Medical Facility was up a dusty Garang street and to the right. The protocol droid stepped through the entrance and spoke to another protocol droid who was attending the information desk. 5Y then turned and headed back to where Thoran and Silas assumed to be Stark's hangar.

Within moments, a human clad in a white coat came to greet Thoran and Silas.

"Greetings. I am Artmas Phillifield, the administrator here at the Garang Medical Facility. I was told you are here for Silanaeus Chatok is that correct?"

Silas spoke up first.

"Yes, is he ok?"

"Are you a family member?"

"Distant, but yes I am."

"I guess that will be sufficient to allow me to speak to you about him. I am sorry to tell you this, but Silaneus was unable to recover from his fatal attack by Lord Vader. We did everything we could...his wounds were too severe. We also believe that he was poisoned, as well. This would explain why the healing powers of the bacta were not effective. I am so sorry."

Thoran moved ahead of Silas to allow him to process what was said and give him time to recover. Thoran could hardly speak himself, but having more experience losing close friends through the war, he was able to choke back the emotions of the moment and be objective.

"What did you do with his remains and his personal effects?"

"Because we were unsure of the nature of the poison, we sent him to the crematorium located here in our facilities. We did try to locate next of kin, but records indicated there weren't any, at least not on Dantooine that we could find. No one seemed to know much more about him other than his name. As far as his personal effects, we did save his robe, although it is quite torn from the attack, as well as his boots and the crystal from his lightsaber."

Silas spoke up. "Just the crystal from his lightsaber? What happened to the rest of it?"

"I am not certain, but those who were closest to the scene said that Lord Vader's lightsaber could have possibly struck the hilt and shattered it."

"May I please have his robe, boots and the crystal?"

"That is not a problem, um I didn't catch your name?"

"Slilax...Slilax Chatok. He was my uncle."

"Very well, Slilax. If you will sign here, I will have them brought forth immediately."

Silas was handed a data-pad and stylus. It took him a moment to remember the first name that he had used. It finally popped into his mind. Whew, that was close...note to self, if you give a false name, remember what it was.

"Thank you, sir."

The doctor gave a quick command to the droids at the counter and within moments a knapsack containing his father's remaining personal effects was handed over to Silas. Thoran and Silas thanked the medical facility administrator and turned to leave. Before they had actually walked out of the door, Artmas Phillifield called for them.

"I forgot one other thing...Another point of unpleasantry for you. Because we were unable to locate any next of kin, all of your uncle's estate, his home, speeder, and the like were auctioned off. I am afraid there is nothing left other than what you have in that knapsack."

Silas and Thoran stood there for a moment digesting exactly what the administrator had said and what that would mean. They then thanked Philliphil once again and exited. As they stood in the afternoon sun of Dantooine, they turned to look at one another.

Tears were streaming from Silas' dark blue eyes and down his yellow-toned face leaving a wet trail behind. Thoran's heart broke at the sight of witnessing Silas grieve. This day was supposed to be about reunions...Silas seeing his father for the first time since he was 8 years old. Thoran had not seen Silanaeus in over 10 standard years. He had looked forward to reminiscing about their childhood and sharing stories of days gone by with Silanaeus and having Silas there to share in the moment. Thoran longed to hear that deep, hearty laugh from his Zabrak friend. Now, that reunion would never come to pass. Thoran knew the heartache Silas was feeling far outweighed his own.

"Silas, there just aren't words to tell you how sorry I am for your loss. I know today has been a kick in the teeth and a blaster-bolt through the heart."

Silas looked down at the ground and tried force down his wounded soul. As half-Zabrak, he hated allowing others to see him cry, but there was just no way possible to stop the flow. It was as if the floodgates had opened and the raging river had let loose. Thoran grabbed Silas and hugged him as a father would hug his son. After several moments had passed, the tears came to an end and the numbness that followed such grief washed over Silas. Silas used the sleeve of his robe to dry his eyes and cheeks.

"What is your plan from here?"

"Build a funeral pyre and burn his robe and boots, I guess."

"Hold on there, kid. You know, I lost my father in the Clone Wars. He was completely vaporized. I have always wished that I had something of his that he had carried with him during that time to remember him by. I can already tell the boots are too small. I'm not telling you what to do, but you might want to hang on to that robe of his. It might come in handy some day and who knows with your crafting skills, you might be able to combine your robe with his."

Silas stood thinking this over. Thoran was right. He wasn't sure why he knew that, but he was sure of it nonetheless.

"I guess you're right. I will keep the robe."

The two mourners walked to the outskirts of Garang. Silas found a grove of blba trees and picked up fallen branches to build the pyre. Thoran followed Silas' lead and helped stack the wood according to the young Zabrak's design.

"I hope it will be a long time before I ever have to do this again. Seems, I have built enough of these to last several years."

"Yeah, I can imagine, Silas, but death is just a natural part of living. You can't have one without the other. Death helps to remind us of our mortality. It has a tendency to make us consider what is truly important in life. I hope the passing of your parents will teach you that important lesson. I know that may seem hard to hear now, but in time you will find that death is one of life's greatest teachers."

"How did you get to be so wise, Thoran? You can be discussing in distinct detail the inner working of a hyper-drive and the next moment the lessons that life and death can teach? How do you do it?"

"Life experiences, Silas. Life has a way of teaching me the hard way. My hope for you is that you can learn from the experiences of others."

With that being said, Silas laid the pair of boots on the small pyre and lit it. He hoped that his father would appear in the flames as his mother had, but was sadly disappointed. The fire consumed the wood and boots leaving nothing but a pile of ashes on the dry ground.

From behind one of the larger blba trees stepped a white-clad stormtrooper. Silas had sensed his presence and his danger sense had alerted him to the impending attack. Thoran had heard the crack of a twig as the trooper had moved into position and was moving before Silas could react. Thoran placed himself between the stormtrooper and Silas. His blaster was drawn with blurring speed and the trooper's chest was scorched with the black mark of a blaster bolt.

Thoran looked at Silas. His mind racing and building a strategy.

"Silas, where there is one trooper there are at least three more."

Thoran walked to the fallen trooper and removed his white helmet. He reached in and grabbed the C1 comm link that was standard issue for stormtroopers. He deactivated the unit and opened a pocket on his flight suit, dropping in the comm unit. He then opened the pocket that contained the reprogrammed comm link that he used with Screech and pitched it to Silas.

"Here ya go, kid. Put that somewhere for safekeeping. I think I have been sold out by Stark. I knew there was something up with that ship of his. Your best bet it to get away from here and away from me. I seem to be drawing the enemy right to you. I will reprogram that trooper's comm unit as soon as I get airborne. I won't be far away. You need anything, that is how you find me. Take care of yourself, kid"

"I will certainly try. You take care, Thoran. I don't want to lose you, too."

"No problem, kid. I was trained by these 'weak-minded Imperials' as your father always called them. I know their tactics and am one step ahead of them at all times. I'll comm you soon, I promise you that. Oh and put that cloak of your father's on. It will throw them off your trail. You will look like a beggar in the streets of Garang."

Thoran turned and was gone within an instant. Silas was stunned at the new turn of events. He had already felt alone without either of his parents. Now, he was really alone. He hated to be alone. Silas slid his arms into his father's robe and pulled the hood over his head. Now, to make that trek back to the city. I only hope Thoran was right.

Silas headed out in the direction of Garang, trying his best to avoid the dusty trail. Every so often, a speeder would pass and Silas would have a moment of panic. He had almost reached the outskirts when a sudden sensation overwhelmed him.

His danger sense rose and he began to reach out with the Force to locate the source of the threat. Just like the experience with Master Bez, Silas could not seem to discover the lurking presence. His frustration level began to rise. What he did sense was that something or someone was watching him and trying to get at him from all sides. Silas moved in the opposite directions. Just as quickly as the sensation had come to him, it ended. Silas looked up and slowly turned around to find no one around him in any direction. He stood in that spot trying to make sense of his experience_. Silas, you are a luna-weed chewing druggie._

Silas continued on to Garang and felt a sense of relief when he passed several stormtroopers and was ignored by them. His father's cloak had spared him his life and for that he was grateful that Thoran had suggested it.

Upon reaching the city, Silas stopped on the walkway across from the tavern. He stood contemplating his options. He could return to the Redemption, but he only had supplies to last a week and not enough credits to buy more or fuel for that matter. He was stuck. Stuck on an unfamiliar planet, with only Screech to help. He couldn't find much solace in that. I guess if all else fails, I could sell the droid, but I'd ended up paying someone to take him off my hands.

* * *

Proxy had given up all hope of finding a candidate for Master Marek. He stopped on the walkway and allowed his photoreceptors to adjust to the Dantooine sun. He happened to look across the way and noticed a hooded figure in a tattered robe.

"Thank the Maker, I believe I have found the perfect specimen for Master Marek. I am sure he will be pleased with such a strong looking sentient as that one."

Proxy walked toward Silas with the holo-image of the hooded Galen Marek.

"Hey kid, you look lost. Are you new around here?"

"Yeah, is there an issue with that?"

"No, but from the looks of that robe of yours, you look like you could use some credits?"

"Doing what?"

"Have you ever farmed?"

"Uh...no"

"How good are you with machinery?"

"I am pretty good at working with my hands, if that's what you mean."

"Sounds like I can offer you a job working with me, if you are willing?"

"Sure, I'll give anything a shot."

"Follow me to my speeder and I will show you my place."

"Hold up. I need to get my things from my ship. You have room for an obnoxious R2 unit?"

"Why yes, I certainly do." PROXY let his holo-image drop at the mention of another droid.

"Hey...who are you anyway? How did you do that?"

PROXY realized what had happened and did his best to explain.

"I take care of my Master and see to his health. It is my central programming. I have been on a quest to find help for the upcoming harvest of kilba greens."

"Ok, meet me here in here in 2 standard hours."

"Absolutely, I will be happy to oblige."

Silas made his way to the starport and his ship. He grabbed his data-pad, his traveler's chest, and told Screech to come with him. He look around his quarters wondering if there was anything else he needed.

"Where we headed, kiddo?" came the message scrolling across his data-pad.

"To meet a droid..."

"This could be quite intriguing, kiddo."

"Yeah, well for you maybe. For me, it is a way to save up some credits to get us off this planet."

Screech began to rock on his struts and a string of tweets and chirps that Silas knew had to be a zinger from Screech. He looked at his data-pad.

"Alright, kiddo. Why don't I seal up the ship. You do your best to try to not get in any trouble."

"You are telling me to stay out of trouble? If I heard Thoran correctly, you were the cause of most of his 'trouble' isn't that correct?"

Screech murmured something that didn't register on the data pad. "Just...go twiddle your thumbs or whatever it is Zabraks do to entertain themselves." The droid petered away to the ship and started removing sensor arrays and any other removable part that could be stolen or scavenged for profit, all the while muttering to himself.

"I think I will go make a visual inspection of the ship. I would hate to return and find nothing left but the hull."

Screech detached the antennas and ignored him.

Silas made his way down the boarding ramp and began walking around his prized vessel. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a red-headed human who seemed to be around his age. Hmmm...this planet is not so desolate after all. He continued to take a visual inventory, but found himself enamored with his new 'find'. Wonder if she is seeing anyone? Hold it right there, Silas, you don't want to have any attachments on a planet that you are trying to leave.

She had a box of something on her shoulder and was talking with a boy with dark hair and seemed to be in trouble about something. She looked down at the floor and nodded at whatever the boy was saying, then disappeared into a storefront.

Silas kept glancing in her direction. Focus, Silas, focus...Give it up, already Silas.

As if to coordinate with his thoughts, she came back out of the store without her box and walked up to the dark-haired boy. He said something to her that made her look down, but he put a finger under her chin to make her look up at him. He put an arm round her shoulders and started walking away with her.

Silas tried to ignore the uneasy feeling he sensed through the Force. In his mind, he thought it was all in his head. He hadn't been too successful with his Force-sensitivities lately.

Screech petered up behind him again. "Everything's ready," the data pad read. "You okay, kiddo? You look like you're about to be sick."

"I am not sure what I am Screech. It has been a rough couple of weeks." Silas knew that would satisfy the droid's inquisitiveness, but it wasn't the whole truth. Having watched the exchange between the girl and the dark-hair boy, he felt complete turmoil through the Force.

"Well, Screech let's not keep the droid waiting."

"Sure thing..."

Silas made his way back to the tavern with Screech. He was just a bit early, so he sat the trunk down on the walkway and took a seat on it. Within two minutes, PROXY pulled the speeder to a stop in front of Silas.

"You must be more precise when you desire me to arrive. You said 2 standard hours. Had I known you would be here sooner, I'd have been here earlier."

"No big deal...er what do I call you?"

"My Master calls me PROXY."

"PROXY, huh? That is an interesting name. I am Silas and this is my R2, Screech."

"I am very happy to make your acquaintances, Master Silas and Screech. What sort of identification is Screech?"

Screech began a series of high pitch tweetles and chirps, then ended with a low growling sound.

"Oh my...I am forbidden by my central programming to use that type of foul language. If I were to say that to Master Marek, he would fry my servos. I suggest you watch your language around Master Marek. He is not the most personable sentient being that one could come into contact with."

Silas loaded the chest into the speeder and drawing on the Force, levitated Screech placing him in the back seat and then jumped into the speeder with one fluid motion.

"Most extraordinary...Master Marek will be quite impressed with athleticism. I have witnessed him perform that very same maneuver countless times."

Proxy flipped the switch and brought up the repulsorlifts and the turbine engines fired up on the speeder. With a smooth motion, he turned the speeder around began the journey back to Galen Marek. I am sure Master Marek will be pleased with my choice. PROXY was much more careful with the drive home, especially since he had passengers. He did not want a recurrence of his first trip into Garang.

As the speeder neared the farmstead, Silas could sense that same presence he had felt earlier. His danger sense trickled up his spine and he continued to reach out farther with the Force to locate the source. Suddenly, the presence disappeared completely.

* * *

Galen had just returned from the kilba green field, where he had discovered that his third and last agribot had blown its internal compensator. Frustrated, he sat down at the blba wood table. Resting his elbows on the surface, he began to massage his temples. With this droid malfunctioning, he began to replay the events of last season's harvest._ Maybe PROXY is right. I do need help. I just can't have someone else snooping around in my business here. It just isn't safe. How can I get this harvest in and protect Juno at the same time?_

His frustration level had reached a new high. Without warning, his danger sense began to stir and rose through his spine. He arose from the table and dropped to his knees. Reaching out with the Force, he began to extend out into the surrounding area. He found what he was searching for.

It would seem that the moment had arrived. He would face the hooded figure from his vision. This was the second time since the vision that he had sensed his presence. Each time was the same. Galen would maneuver to get a glimpse of the figure's face and the figure in turn would avert his face. Galen then sensed the figure returning his own search and he drew himself back in the Force to make himself virtually invisible. _So, that is how you want to play this...You hide your face, then seek me out. Seems that we will both get our first look at one another at the same time._

Still drawn in and making himself small in the Force, Galen rose and walked to his personal quarters in the farmstead. With a sigh, he telekinetically opened the durasteel container. Folded neatly at the top was his dark blue and white bodysuit. Galen reached out and drew the suit to his open hand. He removed his farmer's garb and slipped into the bodysuit. He had always liked the feel of the outfit against his bare skin.

Next, he called the white tunic into his hand and slipped it over his head. The segmented bare-metal breastplate and utility belts were then placed over the tunic and bodysuit and fastened with rancor leather strapping. He called the bare-metal wrist guards to his hands one by one and fastened them into place, as well as the knee guards. Finally, he called his twin lightsabers to his open and waiting palms.

Galen had thought that this chapter in his life was complete when he had buried the container in the field. With it unearthed, came a flood of memories. As he stood dressed in the same fashion as the day he had defeated his Master and nemesis, Darth Vader, he was reminded of Darth Vader's final comment to him aboard the Rogue Shadow.

"As long as she lives, I will always control you," Darth Vader had voiced through his respirator.

Juno was still living despite what Vader had said and he was still hiding and awaiting a final confrontation with him. He knew this day was coming...he just didn't know when.

Galen fell to his knees close to the door to his farmstead and began to meditate awaiting the hooded figure. He would be ready no matter who Darth Vader had sent, even if it were Vader himself. His final thoughts before slipping into a silent meditation were of that moment when he could have ended it once and for all by killing Darth Vader.

* * *

As PROXY brought the speeder to a gentle stop inside the shed that stood next to the farmstead, a sense of fear rushed over Silas. He knew that sooner or later the source of the Force presence would show its face, but he couldn't tell if the individual was friendly or hostile.

"PROXY, something's not right. I just have a bad feeling about this. I suggest you stay here and let me go and check things out. The last thing I need is to lose you or your Master. I really don't have anywhere else to go."

Climbing out of the speeder, Silas made his way to the front of the farmstead. Placing his back against the rounded wall, he then made his way to the front door. So far, so good. Again he, reached out with the Force to find any source of what was causing his danger sense to become active. Still he found nothing. This confused him even more. Adilla was a natural at hiding herself in the Force and was always able to locate him during their training with their Master. Finally, he made it to the door and there was still no source, although his danger sense had reached its peak. Who or what is causing this?

Moving his hand to the panel, Silas positioned himself a few centimeters from the door. With one hand at his side with an open palm awaiting his lightsaber, he reached out to press the chime when suddenly the door slid open. Before he could react, he found himself soaring meer centimeters off the ground when his head slammed hard against a large blba tree causing the hood to fall away revealing his face.

"Ow, what was that for?"

From his kneeling position, Galen sprang to his feet and soared through the air following his prey. He had done exactly what he had planned and this seemingly amateur had fallen for his trap. He came to stop just short of the threat and saw the face from his vision for the first time.

"That was for interrupting me, boy. So, he's sending children these days, huh? Must have run out of my clones."

"Fierfek that hurt. Well, sorry and what are you even talking about?"

"It was supposed to hurt and I can guarantee you that before this is over, you will experience more pain than you can even imagine. Hmm...What should I do? Kill you now unmercilessly, or see what your Master has taught you? What do you think, boy?"

"That's gonna be a lot after what I've been through. And I still don't understand what you're talking about."

"You can stop playing dumb with me anytime. I know who sent you and I know why."

"Well I certainly don't."

"I've made up my mind. Time for some pain. You will regret that you came for me. I might just allow there to be enough of you to send back as a message from me just for him."

With that Galen released the young Zabrak from his Force grip and he fell gracefully to his feet.

Silas let his father's cloak fall away and took a deep breath drawing heavily on the Force. He released the pins allowing his sabers to drop into his palms. He ignited them as they landed allowing the dark blue and yellow beams to extend from the hilts.

"Impressive..."

"I'd rather not fight you, but I will do what I must to live."

"This coming from one of his own. He would have your head for saying that, you know."

Galen extended his arms and his twin blades flew from his sides and ignited with a snap-hiss. In his customary fashion, he held his sabers with a reverse grip with the blades facing away from his would-be opponent.

"Well, let's see what you have, boy."

Silas held both sabers in a defensive position. Silas stood looking over at his challenger. He had never actually faced an individual who also used twin sabers in the Jar'kai style and he was doubly confused by the reversed grip.

Galen made the first move. Force jumping toward the young Zabrak, Galen brought the sabers down in a vertical slash using only half his strength. He simply wanted to test the Zabrak's reflexes.

Silas brought his sabers up to parry the strike and Force jumped to the right. At the same time he drew heavily on the Force to Force shove his combatant backwards. The Force shove was only partially successful. His attacker caught himself in mid-flight and changed his momentum to again come back to Silas on the offensive.

Galen flew back for a split second caught off-guard by the skill of this young Zabrak. He caught himself and came back at the boy. Using the saber in his right hand, Galen swept towards the Zabrak's head while his left saber swept towards his waist.

Silas had never seen this particular maneuver, but his instincts took over and gave him an idea to stop this attack. Bringing both hands together and locking the paired sabers, he created a saber staff to parry his enemy's attack. The four lightsabers met in a loud hiss and both the combatants stood locked glaring into one another's eyes.

"Haven't seen that particular saber, boy. He teach you that?"

"He who? There wasn't a 'he'. It was actually a she."

"He is training women, now?"

"Who are you talking about? My mother was my Master."

"You lie, just like he does."

Silas' temper flared. With a deeper draw on the Force, Silas used every bit of strength he could muster and Force shoved Galen backward to his original fighting position.

Galen came to a stop digging his heels into the ground, otherwise he would have been pushed into the door of his home. Galen had now had enough of this. Drawing deep in the Force, Galen picked the Zabrak up and suspended him with a Force choke. Galen allowed just enough time to pass so that he could finish off this bounty hunter with his sabers.

Dropping the Zabrak to the ground and sending his saber staff flying out his hands, Galen Force leaped with both sabers lit and crossed ready to decapitate his opponent. He landed mere millimeters from the Zabrak.

"Vader only thought you were trained well enough to kill me. Seems he was wrong...again."

"Vader? Is that the 'he' you keep referring to? Vader killed my father and had my mother killed by a bounty hunter."

"Why lie to me, boy? It won't save your life."

"Why would I lie about that? All I want is to see Vader dead. Read my thoughts and see if what I am saying is true. If you sense a lie, then strike me dead."

Silas opened his mind and allowed his memories to rise to the surface. Tears welled in his eyes as he recounted mentally all that he had been through the last several weeks.

Galen stopped and began to read the Zabrak's thoughts. He saw this young boy cradling his mother on the floor of a home, while she lie dying in a pool of her own blood. He caught a glimpse of a Mandalorian bounty hunter being telekinetically tossed into an acid pit and finally he heard the news being delivered that Lord Vader had killed Silaneaus Chatok, the Zabrak's father.

Galen immediately deactivated his sabers and dropped them to his sides. He looked at the young Zabrak on the ground and held out a hand to help him up.

Silas reluctantly took the extended hand and lowered his head. He hated that he was teary-eyed in front of such a powerful Jedi.

"Vader has taken much from us both, it would seem. You have nothing to fear from me. In fact, you have an ally. My question for you is why are you here?"

"I was brought here by PROXY. He said you need help and I need a job."

Galen's temper flared. "PROXY brought you here? Where is that heap of a droid? I will tear out his central processor out."

"It isn't PROXY's fault. I sensed danger and told him to stay back. He was following my instructions."

Galen called out, "PROXY, get your servos over here...Now!"

PROXY came as fast as he could run. He knew that yell all too well. _Master Marek must not approve of the candidate I chose. What shall I do? Hopefully, Silas is still breathing._

PROXY clambered up and was relieved to see Master Marek and Silas standing together.

"Master Marek, I came as fast as could. I assume that Silas does not meet your approval?"

"PROXY, in the future comm me when you are bringing guests. Especially Force-sensitive guests. I almost killed this young Zabrak and to answer your question, Silas more than meets my approval. You did well, my friend."

Silas looked up as Galen spoke to PROXY. Relief spread across his face. He finally had found where he belonged. At least for the moment.

"Master Marek, if its alright with you, may I please retrieve my sabers?"

"Of course, Silas. By the way, my name is Galen Marek. I am not your Master, nor are you my apprentice or Padawan."

"Ok, Galen it is."

Silas extended his hands and the sabers flew into his waiting palms.


	8. Red Under Pressure

**Chapter 8**

**Red Under Pressure**

Alicia Meppis winced as she came out of the back room of the store's back room. She set down the box of files for her boss and rolled her shoulder back. She winced again. She must've tweaked another muscle in her shoulder. It was the third one she'd tweaked in the past week. Given, she'd been working about ten times harder lately hoping for a bit of a raise from her boss, but even so, three?

She reached up an arm and gently massaged the inflamed area, hoping it might help a little and ignoring the pain. She didn't want her boss catching her slacking off at all so she glanced from the back of the store to the front desk. Her boss, Zeak Alder and his son, Dallen were talking with a customer. She sighed with relief, glad for the moment of rest, however abbreviated it might be.

It was a while later that Dallen came upon her, sorting files. His clothes were dark and stood out against the paper-white pallor of his skin. His hair was curling just above his ears like a black snake about to strike. His eyes were hard and blue.

Alicia looked at her fiancé and back down at her files. "Hello."

He regarded her coolly. "Workin' hard?"

She nodded. "Yes. And, I'm getting tired."

Dallen thought for a moment, then pulled a data card from his pocket. "Head back to my apartment and take a nap." It wasn't a request. It wasn't a suggestion. With Dallen, nothing ever was. It was his way or no way, but Alicia didn't mind. She loved Dallen.

"Thanks," she said taking the data card. He planted a small kiss on her head and walked back into the main part of the store and Alicia grabbed her cloak and walked out on the street.

As she was walking through the streets of Garang, the industrial and new buildings mixed with older-fashioned farms, she caught sight of couples like Dallen and herself. Mixed in with them were married couples with children holding their hands.

_Careful, sweet'eart! Don't trip!_

Alicia blinked and looked at the family again. She started walking faster. _Stop_, she hissed at herself quietly. _Stop thinking about it._ She turned her head away and kept it down as she approached the complex where Dallen's apartment was.

She'd only been to the apartment once. Dallen had a party when they'd still been dating. However, she'd never been there alone. If her shoulder didn't hurt so badly or she wasn't so tired, she might've had the decency to feel a bit modest about going to her fiancé's apartment to sleep.

When she arrived, Alicia slid the data card into the panel next to the door and watched as it slid open then began to walk over the threshold into the apartment. The room itself was sparse with only a few pieces of furniture. There were no blankets draped over them. Everything was clean and organized, just like Dallen was.

She looked around, set the data card on the countertop, reached a hand up to her shoulder, and massaged her tweaked muscles with a slight wince. She walked around, looking for a place for her to lie down and decided on the couch.

She went over and sat down there, laying her head back. She closed her eyes and as they grew accustomed to the dark, she saw a flash of something. It was dark blue eyes, much like hers, and a tangle of wild red hair.

It had been a long four standard years since Alicia had let herself think about her mother. Silvia Meppis had always been a bit distant from her daughter, even when she'd been alive. Alicia grew up in Theed the capital city of the planet of Naboo. Even with a such a beautiful environment on her home planet, her family life left lots to be desired. As she drifted into sleep, Alicia remembered a night when she'd gone into the kitchen to get water. Her father, Donovan and Silvia had been talking. Alicia had hidden on the stairs and listened in to their conversation.

"She's your daughter, Silvia! You can't just...leave," Donovan insisted.

"Why not? I never wanted a daughter! You knew I didn't, Donovan."

Alicia heard her father sigh. "But, you have her now. She needs you."

There was a long silence. "You did this on purpose, didn't you, Donovan?" Her mother's voice was dangerous. "You thought that if you got me pregnant I would just forget about my dreams to travel in the stars?"

"You could get hurt, Sil. Alicia needs you. I need you."

Silvia sighed. "I still want to see the galaxy, Donovan. I want to fly around everywhere and see everything, but I can't if you're going to be...holding me back."

There was a few more moments of hissed conversation that Alicia couldn't hear and then her father came up into the corridor. "Go on up to bed, Alicia. It's late."

Nine year old Alicia had swallowed and whispered, "I'm thirsty." Donovan had gotten her a glass of water and sent her up to bed without another word.

Years passed slowly. Alicia grew up, made friends, succeeded in her schooling. It seemed that everything was falling into place for Alicia. She soon forgot about the conversation that she'd overheard as a girl and grew into a fine young woman who any mother should've been proud of.

Unfortunately, Silvia, her mother, seemed to curse the day Alicia had been born. With each passing year, the distance between them only seemed to grow. Silvia became more and more envious of her daughter and her successes. These came out as cutting remarks and scornful looks as Alicia would tell her father of her grades and awards she was receiving in the Royal House of Learning.

Alicia was fourteen when she came home to find Donovan sitting on the couch in their front room, crying.

"Father! Father, what's wrong?" She rushed to him and rested a hand on his shoulder.

It took a few moments for her to decipher his words from in between the sobs. "She...and she... Silvia... jumped..."

Silvia Meppis had taken her adventure. But, this was the one that Donovan had tried to keep her away from. The girl would learn later that her mother had jumped from the rooftop of the Naboo Royal Palace after telling her husband she was grabbing some paperwork from the upper floor where she served the Governor of Rori, Ferrox.

This was certainly not the first time her mother had used the threat of her own suicide to manipulate her husband. Alicia could recall her mother and father arguing with the end result being Silvia threatening to end her so-called 'agony' and take her own life. Her father sensing through the Force her intent would back down and give into to whatever she was demanding at the time. Silvia had used this threat so many times that Alicia could not understand why her father would cave so often. Why won't you fight back? Quit taking this from her and beat her at her own game. This time Silvia had done what Alicia never expected her to do. Something must have changed for her to have done this.

But, for now, Alicia just sat there, dumbfounded. She knew her mother was in need of change, but how could she do this to her father? This only stoked the anger that she felt towards her mom and her past with her. After a few moments of silence, Alicia looked at her father and felt tears swell in her eyes, for his sake.

Through the dryness of her mouth, she managed to croak out the first thing she could think to say: "It's okay, Father. We have each other."

He hadn't been able to look at her. With her fiery hair and navy eyes, Alicia resembled her mother as much as a child could. There were none of Donovan's features visible in his daughter. Alicia rested her head on her father's shoulder and wrapped her arms around him as he cried. She had to be the strong one; it wasn't hard to guess who would miss Silvia more.

After all the grief her mother had caused her father, Alicia had difficulty understanding what there was to miss. To Alicia, Silvia Meppis' reign of terror and threats had finally come to an end. She knew her father would be stronger in the end.

Donovan became distant in the next few months. He spent more and more time in his study pouring over notes in his data-pad and taking less and less of the meals that Alicia brought him. She was starting to worry about her father.

One night, almost a full standard year after Silvia taken her own life, Alicia tried pressing the button on the panel beside the door of Donovan's study. "Father," she called into the comm mic. There was no answer. She called into the comm mic and pressed the button that would usually allow her to enter again. "Hello? Father?"

Finally the door to his study slid open. She looked around the room. "Father?" But, there was no one there. She frowned.

Alicia walked all through the house looking for him, calling his name into every room. Where could he be? She ended up grabbing her cloak off its peg by the door, deciding that wherever he was, Donovan was not in the house.

The streets of Theed were unwelcoming that night, but she knew she had to find her father. She ran through the streets, attempting the impossible task of squeezing through the crowds without knocking anyone over. She was on the very edge of the city, about to give up and head home when he appeared in her field of vision. He was standing on the edge of the cliffs outside of Theed that overlooked the spaceport.

As the girl started walking closer to her father, the wind off of the cliffs teased her sunset hair. Donovan was looking down, his jaw set hard and his scruffy hair tousled as well. Her father looked up when he heard her footsteps, his face a stony, steely expression. Determined. Unyielding.

"Father?" Alicia said, voice uncertain. "What are you doing here?"

The muscles worked in his still-clenched jaw, and he waited until he was right beside her. "I had always thought that if she were to jump, it would've been here."

Alicia stepped beside him and rubbed his arm gently. "I miss her, too."

Donovan gazed back out at the spaceport. "She was really never the person who liked to stay in one place. I should've been more accommodating."

The girl frowned. It had been almost a standard year. Why was he still worrying about things like that?

Abruptly, her father turned to her. "We have to leave. Tonight."

She knit her eyebrows. "Leave...leave Theed? For good?"

"Yes...Go home and pack, Alicia. I'll meet you there."

Alicia swallowed. "But..." He turned to glare at her, his eyes causing her voice to fade away. "Yes, Father." She wrapped her robe tighter and walked back towards the heart of the city and the house.

When she arrived home, Alicia walked into her room and frowned. What did one take when they were leaving everything they knew behind? She walked to her wardrobe and grabbed a dura-steel travel chest, setting it, then on her bed. She put a finger to her lip and tapped it there a few times. "Clothes," she said softly.

She walked to her wardrobe again and took out her clothes, then walked back, setting them in the chest. Then, she tapped her lip again just before gathering her shoes and putting them beside the clothes. Next was her spare robe. She could think of nothing else to bring. After a long moment, however, she walked over to a table beside her bed and entered a code on a pad. A small drawer slid open. Inside the drawer was a small sheet of flimsy. Written on it in a curly, delicate scrawl was her name, Alicia Meppis. Just her name. There was not a date or anything, but it was the writing itself that made it so special.

"Your name means 'noble', Alicia," Silvia had said. "Just look at the way it flows across the page when you write." Her stylus danced across the flimsy. "Alicia... Meppis." Her mother had smiled broadly and handed it to her.

Alicia now ran her fingers over the writing and sighed. This was the one fond memory of her mother.

Without another thought, Alicia ripped the flimsy and let it fall to the ground, before standing and closing the trunk.

Donovan came home a time later and picked up Alicia's trunk without a word. He walked out the door and she had to run after him to catch up. "Father!" she cried. "Father, slow down!"

"We must hurry, Alicia. Come, now."

She sighed and kept pace with him as best she could.

They arrived at the spaceport and entered one of the hangars. There, a small ship was waiting for them. Alicia frowned as Donovan spoke to a man and set something in his hand. Then, he loaded the ship.

"Alicia, come on. We have to go now."

She clambered onto the ship and noticed that there were things of her father's already loaded into chests. It was more than three times as much as she had.

"Where are we going, Father?" she queried.

Donovan shot her a glare and took the pilots' seat. "Sit down and don't ask questions."

Alicia was taken aback, but she did as he said and sat down in the copilot's seat beside him. He pressed a few buttons on the console and within a few moments they were flying out of the hangar and into the dark Naboo sky.

As they flew away, Alicia tried to take one last look at Theed, shining like a jewel in the night, but it was already past her realm of view. She sighed and looked forward again as they flew past the Naboo atmosphere and into the still quiet of space.

They flew for what Alicia judged to be a few days. In the chair, Alicia would fall asleep and wake up with a kink in her neck. As she massaged it away she would see that Donovan was still awake and steering their ship. She wouldn't speak to him or ask where they were going. She refused. He had snapped at her before, and didn't want it to happen again.

Alicia had just awoken from another long nap when Donovan announced, surprising her by breaking the silence, that they were stopping. "We're running low on fuel. I'll stop on Dantooine. We aren't far. We can grab some other supplies, too."

She nodded. "Alright, that sounds fine." Alicia said nothing else until they landed in a hangar on a planet she assumed to be Dantooine. They stepped off the ship and she stood by the ramp as Donovan explained to one of the workers what he needed. Then, he gestured to his daughter and they walked into the hangar.

The two of them walked silently around the markets as they gathered up the needed supplies. The last stop was a trader standing by the edge of the hangar, looking out at the planet. "Sir, can I help you?"

Donovan stopped for a moment, then walked up to him. "Would you show me what you have?" he asked slowly.

The man smiled and led him into a back room. There was another boy there, about Alicia's age, tossing around sand bags. Donovan nodded to him. "Alicia, why don't you go over there for a moment. I'll grab you when it's time to go."

Alicia swallowed and nodded. She walked over to the boy. "Ahm, hello there."

The boy turned and smiled. He had bright blue eyes that seemed bright, yet cold. "Hey. I'm Dallen."

The two of them talked for a while, not about anything in particular. He commented on her hair and she asked him about the sandbags. Finally, Alicia turned around, but noticed that her father was gone. Confused, she walked up to the trader that he'd been talking to earlier.

"Excuse me, sir, but where is Donovan?"

The man turned. "Oh, he left, dearie. You'll be staying here with me and Dallen."

Alicia frowned. "What do you mean, 'he left'?" She ran out of the room and into the main hangar. She pushed her way through the vendors, but it was no use. When she arrived the ship was gone. All that was left was a small chest. "Father!" Alicia screamed, clutching her stomach. No tears would come out of her eyes, though her throat choked up.

She heard footsteps and the trader came up behind her. "Little Meppis, he had to go. We're old friends. You'll be safe with us."

Alicia whirled and looking at him, angrily. "I don't want to be safe! I want my father!"

She ran to grab her chest and opened it, seeing if there was a note or explanation of some kind. But, there was nothing. Just the robe, the clothes and the shoes. Alicia was completely alone now. She had nothing.

"Come on, little Meppis," the trader called. "Let's get you back."

She took a slow calming breath and set her features. Then, after closing the chest again, hoisted it up into her arms and they all walked towards the back room.

* * *

It was dark in the apartment when Alicia woke up from her nap. However, to her drowsy eyes, the apartment was still empty, save for her. She blinked a few times, trying to remember the dream that she'd been having, but it was dancing, just out of reach.

She sat herself up on the couch and rubbed her eyes with her fists, a small yawn escaping her lips. She wasn't quite awake yet, she supposed. After a moment, she slowly stood from the couch and stretched, her arms way up above her head and bit her wince as her shoulder screamed in protest. She cracked her back then, and then her knuckles. When she finished, she walked to the front of the room and turned on the lights.

Alicia screamed. "Good moons on Naboo, don't scare me like that, Dallen!" She put a hand to her chest, breathing deeply as Dallen uncrossed his legs, still sitting in one of the armchairs and facing her.

Dallen just laughed. His ice-blue eyes were sparkling with dark humor as he held his fingertips in a sort-of pyramid formation up to his mouth, resting his elbows on the armrests.

"What do you mean scare you? I was only sitting here. Besides, it's always so much fun to watch you weak ones squeal," he added with a purr.

He stood up from his chair in a fluid, lithe motion. Alicia bowed her head as he walked up to her. He placed his thumb on her jawbone, then his first two fingers under her chin and forced her to look up at him.

To an outside observer the gesture may have seemed romantic; however, Alicia could feel the too-hard pressure of his fingertips on her fragile skin and see the violent look in his eyes. His pupils seemed to fill the icy iris almost completely and Alicia felt as though she were falling into a black hole. "Come 'ere, sweetheart," he whispered. He bent his head to kiss her, but she turned her cheek to his lips. They hit a patch of freckles and left a white-hot sensation behind. Gooseflesh jumped up along her arms.

He forced her up again, more harshly this time and his eyes flashed. "Careful, sweetheart. I'm not always this nice."

His hand on her face tightened its grip, pressing hard on her jawbone. She could already feel the blood pooling and a bruise starting to form beneath his thumb. He held her tightly in the same spot. She was so petrified, she couldn't even tear her eyes away.

In a moment, Dallen's lips had slammed on Alicia's with a violence that most observers might mistake for passion. Alicia couldn't pull away from him, but she refused to kiss back. It was too much.

His free hand wrapped around her back and pulled her tight against him. She let out a small gasp as her tweaked muscle jerked again. Dallen must have taken this to mean something else because his nails dug further into her back, so deep that Alicia could feel blood trickling down her side. Even so, Alicia didn't dare fight back against him.

He's only so rough because he loves me, she insisted silently. I'm glad that he does. It makes the pain of other things, like my shoulder, less. His lips moved against hers, roughly. Their teeth clicked together, his kiss still violent and unceasing. And I love him for it. I love him. He loves me. That's why we're getting married.

* * *

Marek arose early as was his habit. He liked the quiet of the farmstead and to have time without PROXY interrupting his thoughts. He had come to grow fond of the young Zabrak who Proxy had selected as his new hire. The thoughts of their first encounter continued to run through his mind, especially the moment that Silas had allowed him to read his thoughts and memories. Darth Vader killed his parents..one directly the other indirectly. If it had been anyone else, Marek would probably have killed Silas where he stood. The simple fact was that Marek loathed Darth Vader as much or more than Silas.

Marek walked to the room that he had given Silas expecting to have to wake him up for the day. He approached the door and reached out with the Force to find the room empty. He reached out further with the Force and found the Zabrak out in the kilba field. Now, what is he up to this morning?

Marek walked to the door panel and exited his home, heading straight for Silas. When he arrived, he found Silas up to his elbows in compensator fluid, doing his best to make the needed repairs. Screech, his R2 droid was constantly tweetling away about the 'correct' way to repair the compensator and that he was making a mess of it the way his former owner Thoran always did. Marek smiled to himself. If that was my droid, I would have sent a streak of Force lightning through his systems.

"Morning, Silas. You sure are up early."

"Morning, sir. Just wanted to get this blasted machine up and running."

"Tell me something. How can you take that droid of yours and his constant noise? I can take care of that for you."

"After a while, you learn to just tune him out and as tempting as that offer is, I kinda need him."

"Hmm...need him? What for? To annoy you like PROXY annoys me?"

"No, for spare parts." Silas gave Marek a toothy grin.

That comment actually brought a small chuckle from Galen, which was highly unusual. Galen looked over at the droid who began chirping and tweetling even louder. With a wave of Galen's hand, the droid suddenly grew silent.

"How did you do that? I have wanted to silence him for weeks."

"Remember, I am not your Master and you are not my Padawan or Apprentice. What I do is what I do, got that?"

"Yes sir, I understand. I will just be sure to call you when I need some peace."

Again, Galen grinned, but quickly grew more serious. "How is that compensator?"

"The connector ring is beyond repair. I have tried to create a new one out of the spare parts you have, but it seems stripped."

"I think that was something I did. I got a little upset when trying to reattached the coupling and cranked the hydrospanner a little too tight."

"Fierfek...Any tighter and I would have never been able to take it off."

"Yeah, that is why we hired you. I promise to leave the repairs to you. So, what do you think we need to do?"

"Looks like a new compensator is in order, but that is up to you. I wouldn't want to tell you what to do."

"I asked your opinion and I expected your opinion. If that is what you think, then have at it. Take PROXY and go into Garang. At the Agro post is Zeak. He buys, sells and trade spare parts. Get what you need but don't pay his asking price. Negotiate the lowest price you can get from him even if you use the Force. You have to watch Zeak. There is something I don't like about him. Just a feeling I have about him."

"Will do, Galen."

* * *

The hangar was bustling with the comings and goings of traders, merchants, and travelers going on their way. Mr. Alder had been talking with customers all morning, selling and buying and pawning.

Alicia's shoulder hurt worse than yesterday. And, to add to it, her lips were swollen from Dallen's fervent attack on them the night previous and her arms, sides and jaw had dark purple bruises that stood out against the pale marble-like pallor of Alicia's skin.

She came out of the backroom with the shipments of bolts that Mr. Alder had requested and went back in the room, sitting down on one of the work tables. I have to keep working, she thought quietly. Zeak will be angry if I don't. And, if Dallen doesn't protect me, I'll be done for.

She was massaging her shoulder muscle when the durasteel door opened, admitting Dallen. "There you are," he said. The comment seemed relieved, but the iciness of Dallen's eyes suggested otherwise. "Why are you sitting here? The port is bustling."

"I... I was just..."

"Just what? Being lazy? I refuse to have a lazy wife."

"No, I pulled a muscle-"

"Oh, so you aren't lazy. You're weak." He picked her up by the collar of her shirt, ignoring her yell of pain and protest. "Oh, shut up." Dallen shoved her to the ground. Whether by his hand or just sheer bad luck, Alicia landed on her bad shoulder and let out another yell.

"Pull it together, Meppis." He knelt before her and slapped her, hard. Her face jerked to the side and she kept her face there. "Look at me," Dallen hissed.

Alicia didn't.

His hand struck her again and he caught her chin, his thumb pressing, intentionally, hard on the bruise he'd left last night. "When I tell you to do something, you do it." His voice was dark.

"I..."

"Dallen! I need you!" Mr. Alder's voice came through the doorway, causing Dallen's head to jerk in towards the door. He shoved Alicia against the ground and stood, walking out without another word.

Alicia put a hand to her jaw. It stung, but she knew she had to keep working if she didn't want it to happen again.

She stood and walked out through the doorway, seeing that they had a customer. He was wearing a traveler's cloak that covered his face and he was speaking low so that Alicia couldn't hear what he was saying to Mr. Alder.

"Alicia," Zeak barked, "grab that shipment of internal shredding capacitors."

Alicia frowned. "But...sir, we haven't gotten any shipments of capacitors in months."

Both Zeak and Dallen whirled on her with their matching blue eyes furious.

"Of course we have," Zeak hissed through clenched teeth. "Now, go and get it."

The girl, frightened for another strike, turned towards the room when the traveler called out to her, "Wait." The stranger stepped between the Alders and Alicia not allowing them to influence her decision and created a Force shield around the two of them. Silas could sense the girl's hesitation, but also felt something else stirring within her. He felt her reach out and brush him ever so slightly with the Force. This confused him. He knew she was Force-sensitive, but he wasn't sure that she was aware of it.

Alicia stopped in her tracks, but held her breath. She didn't turn around.

"What's your name?" the traveler asked. His accent was familiar, but not from Dantooine. She turned just enough that she could see him. His face was still hidden beneath his hood. Alicia cocked her head. There was something familiar about this wayward traveler.

"Alicia," she commented softly. "Alicia Meppis is my name."

Since she couldn't see the traveler's face, she didn't know if he was frowning or smiling or what. Even so, he spoke softly. "May I have a word with you in private?" The abruptness of his request startled her.

"I beg your pardon?" she asked. Her hand went to a small metal band with a shapely black stone on the third finger of her left hand. It had been an engagement present from Dallen and, more than anything, had turned into a worry for Alicia.

"May I have a word with you in private?" the traveler repeated. His voice had changed only slightly, louder now, almost as if annoyed with her. Silas used the Force to emphasize his desire for her to speak to him where they wouldn't be disturbed.

Alicia looked warily around the traveler to Dallen and Zeak. Both of them were shaking their heads. Part of her wanted to walk right into Dallen's arms and have the hooded traveler go away. But another part, a larger, stronger part was curious. Silas turned to eye the two men and with a slight flick of his wrist, he implanted a willingness to allow her to leave at her own free will. They would not stop her, if she decided to talk to him. The two men turned as if Alicia hadn't been there and continued the conversation they were having prior to the stranger's request.

"Yes," she replied, turning back to him. "Let's go to the caf bar. No one will disturb us there."

The hooded traveler nodded and they walked away from the two Alder men.

"I never got your name," Alicia commented. They were far enough away from her employer and fiancé now that she figured they'd be safe.

"Nope," he said.

Alicia waited for him to expand, but he didn't. In fact, he didn't say a word.

"Well," she said after a long moment and stopping behind a large pillar. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

He didn't respond for a long moment, but then his voice was quiet. "You recognize me, don't you or at least you have a sense about me?"

She was, again, startled. She kept the emotion out of her face and voice, however, and frowned at him. "I've never seen you before in my life," she said firmly.

He looked around the port, as if seeing if anyone was watching them, then he pulled back his hood. His skin was pale yellow, like a newborn star. Little horns sprouted out of his head and his whole face, save for his eyes, was covered in a dizzying pattern of black tattoos. He was, well, sorta... beautiful.

"Now do you recognize me?" he asked, putting his hood back up.

She swallowed. "Why did you want to talk to me?" she asked again, her voice smaller.

"Because."

"Because why?" He was starting to annoy her.

"I'm a Jedi Knight, or at least I'm still learning. "

It all came back to Alicia in a flash. She recognized the mysterious traveler because she'd dreamt of him. She scowled at him, thinking, well hoping really, that he was teasing her. "That's not possible. Jedi have all been imprisoned or wiped out," she told him firmly

He could sense her disbelief through the Force. She wasn't convinced. "You know it's true. I feel your presence in the Force. It is not just any presence, but one of someone who is Force-sensitive. Let your mind and heart open to it. Let it flow through you like a stream. That stream will eventually become a river. If you keep yourself open to its current, you will be swept away into a bliss that you have never experienced."

Alicia stood not knowing how to respond.

"Let me show you." He reached out and gently took her hands. The gesture was so abrupt, and gentle, that Alicia didn't feel embarrassed. He opened his mind and reached out to her with the Force. Instantly, their minds met. At first, Alicia threw up a sort of mental blockade against him, keeping him out.

Silas took a deep breath and plunged into the Force like never before. The current of the Force swept both he and Alicia into a state of peace and security. She could sense the Force flowing through every living creature, every rock and the very ground on which she stood. Her first impulse was to be frightened. It was too much. It was true: she'd never experienced anything like this before, but she wasn't scared. It felt...somehow, right.

Could he be right about her? Really, there was no way he could just be doing this himself, right? Suddenly, a darkness penetrated the peace. Silas' sense of loss began to take over and he remembered a similar experience he had with his Master and mother. She had led him deep into the Force as a youngling. His heart raged with sadness and anger. Silas could feel himself spiraling and he immediately reeled back.

Alicia was confused by what she had just felt. She had caught a few glimpses of scattered and hard-to-understand images, but then they were gone in a flash. She could feel his mind, connected to hers, looking around. She had the impulse to pull away, but didn't. He found a memory that she hadn't thought about for a long time.

"Your name means 'noble', Alicia," Silvia said. "Just look at the way it flows across the page when you write." Her stylus danced across the flimsy. "Alicia... Meppis." Her mother smiled broadly and handed it to her.

Silvia. Five standard years. And, now, a strange boy had brought out the only good memory Alicia had of her. She attempted to pull away just as he caught on another memory.

Dallen knelt in front of her, a small durasteel box in his hand. "Alicia, will you be my wife? Will you be Mrs. Alder?" He opened the box and revealed a small silver ring with a rather large black stone, cut in the shape of a hexagon. He slipped it on her finger. "As long as you wear this, you're mine."

Silas felt intrigued by this. The boy in the memory was the same one that he'd gotten a harmful vibe from earlier. _She really loved him?_

A split second later, Alicia wrenched her hands from his. "I don't know what kind of thing you are, but keep away from me you..." She took a step away from him. "You just stay away from my memories and out of my head." She looked at the horns, the yellow skin and the tattoos. "Dragon-boy," she hissed at him. She ran off, back towards the Alder's shop and into her waiting fiancé's arms.

"Are you okay?" Dallen asked.

"Yeah," Alicia breathed. She bit her lip as he held her just-that-much too tightly, making the bruises on her arms hurt.

He loves me, she told herself. And I love him.

"Dragon-boy? She's about as fierce as a Krayt Dragon." Silas stood watching her run. His danger sense began crawling up his spine and he feared for Alicia's safety. Silas followed her back to the shop and, as he neared the doorway, his danger sense grew stronger. There was something about the Alders that gave him a bad feeling, but he wasn't sure why. Quickly, Silas pulled the hood back over his head, concealing his face.

He caught sight of the younger Alder holding Alicia tightly...too tightly. The other passersby either didn't see or didn't notice Alicia biting her lip or maybe thought she was thinking, but Silas could tell it was more than that-to keep from crying out. He noticed Dallen's too-tight grip on her arms, his territorial hold on her, almost behind his back, and the way that his eyes held no warmth as he bent his head to speak to her.

Using the Force, he ripped open Dallen's grip and Force shoved him back into the counter without even raising his hand. He held him there ready to strike if necessary.

"Stop!" Alicia screamed. She ran to Dallen and checked to see that he was okay. She turned to the traveler. "Let him go, please! I love him! He loves me." There was genuine fear in her eyes.

"You call that love. I've seen Rancor bulls show more affection than that."

She shot him a glare that could kill. "Let him go or so help me I will run you through with the first thing I grab on my way running."

"Listen, hot head, if you think the-"

"Hot head?" Her eyes flashed and her cheeks flushed with anger. "Let my fiancé go and leave. Now. Hear me? Now, Dragon-boy."

Every cell in his body wanted to choke the life out of the imbecile she called her fiancé, but he finally released him.

Alicia rested her hands on his cheeks and looked into his eyes, clucking and cooing. "Dallen? Dallen, are you okay?"

He wrenched away from her as she fell to the ground and he turned his sneer from the stranger to her, for just a moment. "Get up, you sniveling thing. He would've killed me and you wouldn't have cared." His foot connected with her side and she squeaked, but didn't cry out. He kicked her once more, but his eyes flickered to Silas. "And you. What are you? Some kind of Jedi?" He laughed that cruel laugh he had with no humor and his blue eyes turned to ice.

Silas' dark blue eyes seemed to shine through the shroud created by his hood giving him a very dark look as if he were a Sith. His eyes burned with hot anger and he could feel it swelling within him as he considered what this small boy was doing to a seemingly innocent woman. He recalled his mother's death and thought, Not gonna happen again. At least, not while I am here. If there was an acid pit, he most certainly be the next one to take a swim.

"Never anger a Zabrak, boy."

Dallen sneered again. "Please. I could be your father. And, at least I know how to handle a woman without having her running away from me."

"I say we settle this somewhere less... public"

"Oh, no, no. You see, I don't need to 'settle' anything; I've already won." In a flash of a second, his face contorted into fear and he started yelling, "Jedi! He's a Jedi! He's threatening to kill-"

Using the Force, Silas clamped the young man's mouth shut. "No, you're not selling me out."

But it was too late. Stormtroopers were starting to approach them, curiously and Dallen started flailing, like the stranger was hurting him.

Unaware of what was going on, Alicia stood and ran-er, limped-to Dallen. "Stop," she cried to Silas. "Stop!"

Silas rolled his eyes. The troopers walked up to him. There were only two; no big deal. With one wave of his hand Silas reached out with the Force and touched the weak-minded stormtroopers.

Silas spoke and the stormtroopers repeated, "There is no Jedi here. Let's move on."

The two troopers turned and walked out heading into the crowded walkway. Silas then turned back to Alicia and her fiancé. However, Dallen's arm was wrapping around her throat and her eyes were wide with fear. She refused to stop him, Silas noticed. He could see her mouthing the words 'He loves me' to herself.

"Go, Jedi, or I'll snap her neck. And you know I would." The boy's eyes flashed and he gripped Alicia's head just so. If he were to even flick his wrist, her neck would break like a toothpick.

Silas chuckled to himself. His eyes pierced Dallen as he flicked his forefinger releasing Dallen's grip around Alicia's neck and with the Force, pulled Alicia to safety by his side. Drawing deeper into the Force, Silas Force pushed Dallen into the far wall splaying his arms and legs in the shape of an 'X'.

Alicia leapt at him with a yell. "Dallen!" she cried. Silas wrapped his arms around her waist, keeping her from running to him, and took her into his arms. "Let. Me. Go!" she protested, kicking and hitting him. But with her tweaked shoulder and injuries from Dallen, it was no use. Silas was stronger than her.

"He doesn't really love you. You are only a means to an end to him. Do you want to be a slave for the rest of your life? If you come with me, I'll show you true freedom."

Alicia bit her lip. She looked at Dallen, her fiancé. "I love him," she said softly. "And he loves me. It's simple as that. I'm not his slave or his 'means to an end'. I'm his fiancée and we're going to get married and live a beautiful life together. You wait and see."

"Wait and see what? Him choking the life out of you? I won't force you to come with me but I can guarantee you this: if you stay, you're in for the beating of your life."

She swallowed. "One month. I'll give you a month. And, if..." She took a breath. "If at the end of that month I'm not convinced that you're the 'better person' then, I come back here. No questions asked, okay?" Her voice was firm and her navy blue eyes were hard.

"Deal. Now, please step outside while I finish this with your friend, here..."

"Alright, but you have to promise me that you won't hurt him. I love him. You cannot hurt him, stranger."

Silas once again chuckled to himself. "I won't hurt him. I promise you that. I am a Jedi...not a Sith."

She looked at Dallen once more and walked out of the store.

Silas strode to the splayed-out Dallen and stood staring down into his melting eyes. "I don't know who you think you are, but I certainly know who I am and I know what I'm capable of. I know that Alicia is your fiancée, but I will make you this promise...If you ever so much as lay a hand to hurt her, or say one negative, spiteful thing to intentionally hurt her and I find out about it, I will hunt you down and I can guarantee that it will be the very last time your hand will EVER move and I will wrap your tongue around your neck without even lifting a fist. Understand? Considering your level of intelligence or lack thereof, let me make this simple for your tiny brain: If you hurt her, you are going to be on the receiving end of the worst of me."

Dallen's eyes weren't as hard, but he still managed to retort, "Bite me."

Silas used the Force and shoved Dallen's chin closing his mouth. A crunching noise could be heard through Dallen's cheek. Silas knew that Dallen was now missing a few teeth.

"Don't think you will be biting anything soon, BOY. That is just the beginning of the pain you will feel. Do I make myself clear? "

Dallen spit a combination of saliva and blood at him.

Silas caught it mid-flight and flung it back into Dallen's eyes.

"Seems you have to learn things the hard way, Boy. Like I told you before, never anger a Zabrak."


	9. Altered Memories, Seeds of Change

**Chapter 9**

**Altered Memories, Seeds of Change**

Dagmar stood in the doorway of Adilla's room watching her sleep soundly. He recalled many times doing just that when she was a little girl. He and Illyana had decided it best to keep her sedated until they had gathered more information for Lord Vader.

The information had trickled in slowly from the network they had developed over the years. Dagmar felt a pang in his heart knowing that no matter what intelligence they delivered to Lord Vader, Adilla's fate rested in his all-powerful hands.

The first Intel report came from Frox in Agamar. He had sent word that he had faked his capture to keep from risking being discovered as a mole in Thoran's Rebel Alliance Network. He had reported that the Jedi Zabrak's ship had flown into the spaceport under the transponder code of "The Redemption." This news gave he and Illyana hope that they would deliver the Jedi to Lord Vader and preserve their daughter's life.

Illyana was visibly excited to know the whereabouts of the Zabrak. "So, he isn't as sly as many we have tracked and killed in the past."

"Youth makes one careless. He seems to think no one would care about him or have the ability to track his movement. It is the arrogance of the Jedi. They consider themselves invincible," Dagmar responded.

A smile crossed the face of his wife at the mention of invincible. She knew as well as anyone that Jedi were indeed vulnerable and could be assassinated, having worked as a Jedi assassin before marrying Dagmar.

They were both shocked as Adilla grew and began to show tendencies of being a Force sensitive. They did their best to hide her away and gave her strict instructions not to ever display her Force abilities since Order 66 had been announced by the Emperor.

Dagmar recalled the distasteful way that Illyana referred to their daughter's abilities. It wasn't until most Jedi had been killed that she began to breathe easier and accept the fact that their daughter had Force aptitude.

How she could have ever been so vulgar astounded him, as he watched his beautiful daughter sleeping soundly, her breath softly moving the chocolate hairs on her face.

Adilla rolled over as Dagmar watched, pulling him out of his thoughts. His daughter, the light of his world, and if the lead didn't work out she would die.

An alarm sounded in the workshop and Dagmar rushed from the doorway meeting Illyana on her way to find out any new Intel.

A signal light flashed from a panel on their holo-comm unit.

"Who is it?" Illyana inquired.

"A relatively new informant that came to me several months back. He goes by the name, Stark."

"Stark?" The name tasted suspicious. "You never told me about him," she said with disdain.

"Must I tell you everything, my dear. I think not and besides it never came up," he retorted.

He pushed a button on the comm unit and a shrouded figure formed hovering just above it.

"Why Stark...it has been a while. I assume the price is still the same."

"No, Dag...it just increased to triple the price."

"What? Why?" Dagmar exclaimed.

"What I have for you is extremely sensitive and puts me in a precarious situation. In fact, I want the credits deposited before I deliver the info."

"You know it doesn't work that way, Stark."

"With what I have about a certain Zabrak Jedi, it does. If not, then I guess I'll go."

Illyana couldn't contain herself. "A Zabrak, you say..."

Dagmar shot her a look. "Hush!"

"First the credits, then the info. Take it or leave it."

Illyana looked to her husband. "We have to save her."

"Ok Stark, you win this one, but if this info doesn't pan out, it'll be your head. Same Cred account as before?"

"Good enough."

"I am sending the credits now. Don't ever expect this again."

"Oh, don't Dagmar. You know I'm your best informant. Besides there isn't going to be an 'again'. I am dropping off the radar after this one, at least for a while."

"Is that so? Well Stark, what do you have for us?"

"An old friend of mine showed up recently. You might know him. Thoran Traeveck."

Dagmar curled his lip in a grimace.

"He was asking about Lord Vader's guard on Dantooine, Silanaeus Chatok."

"Chatok is dead," the Mains said in unison.

"Yeah, I know. Chatok's son was with Thoran. Those two had no idea what had become of ol' Chatok."

"Where? When?"

"It has been a couple of days ago. I had a droid escort them to the Capital City Medical Facility. I have holo-images of both of them to prove it. I also notified the Imperial guards here. A squadron of troopers tried to intercept them. Unfortunately, they both got away. You will be happy to know that I did have the droid track the Zabrak kid, though."

"We believe you. We need to get our hands on him as soon as possible. Where is he now?"

"There is an old farmstead just 25 kilometers from Capital City called, "The Marek Place" by all the locals. He is living there and working for the reclusive owner."

"Stark, I have to say, you just earned every credit I sent you. If I need more information, how do I find you?"

"You won't find me. Like I said, I am dropping off the radar and going underground."

The holo-image faded and the transmission ended abruptly. The Mains sat in silence for a moment processing all that they had heard.

"Do we have enough?" Illyana asked. "Can we save her?"

Dagmar didn't recognize the tone in her voice. It was tender, but also hiding a hint of fear. His wife was a lot of things, but frightened was never something she was.

"We can only hope. Lord Vader is too unpredictable to say at this point. Let's get this over with."

Dagmar reached for the control and dialed in the holo-comm frequency for direct contact with the dark lord himself, Darth Vader.

Soon, the hooded image of Darth Vader appeared above the unit.

"I have been expecting you. What report do you have concerning your recent activities?"

Dagmar swallowed hard and began his report. All that could be heard from the other end of the transmission was Lord Vader's respirator. When Dagmar reached the point of recounting Silas Chatok's escape from Iridonia, there was a noticeable change in the Dark Lord's breathing pattern. The Mains knew that he was very angry.

"We do have reports of his whereabouts..."

"You know that this is totally unacceptable. The fact that your daughter has trained with a Jedi concerns me the most. Where is she now?"

"She is with us and is under sedation. We used Bavo-6 and were able to get much of the intel that we have from her. Our thought was that since Adilla was close to the Zabrak Jedi, she could be used to get to him. As I was telling you, we have reports from our informant on Dantooine that Silas is working for and living with a reclusive farmer whose farmstead is known as the "Marek Place."

Lord Vader's breathing pattern returned to normal at the mention of 'Marek'. After a short silence, Lord Vader finally broke the silence.

"You are to send the girl to me immediately. I am sending a shuttle at once to Iridonia."

"May we ask about her fate?"

"That is not of your concern. Due to your incompetence, a Jedi lives. I have every reason now to have you both arrested."

With that, the transmission ended. Dagmar and Illyana sat in stunned silence. Both knew that Lord Vader would not be happy about all that had transpired with Silas Chatok's escape, but they had dealt a major blow by locating and ordering the hit on Bez Chatok, a Jedi Knight. Neither had felt or heard his cutting wrath as they had just witnessed first hand. They felt indignant that they were blamed for an escape that was out of their control entirely.

Dagmar looked over at his wife and the mother of his only child. Tears welled up and began to stream down her face. He, too, felt his heart in his throat. What would become of his daughter? They might never know.

Dagmar broke the silence. "That didn't go the way that I had hoped."

"I wasn't sure what to expect, but I at least had wanted to know what Adilla's fate would be."

"Lord Vader is the Dark Lord. He has every right to make any decision that he chooses, even if I personally do not like it. He is our leader and we pledged loyalty to he and the Emperor. We need to get Adilla prepared for the shuttle."

Illyana gave Adilla another dose of the sedative and a fresh change of clothing, then they waited in silence for the shuttle to arrive. It wasn't long before the Imperial shuttle commed them from the spaceport.

They loaded their sedated daughter into their waiting speeder and headed to the spaceport in Capital City. A hard and steal coldness set into both sets of eyes. This might be their daughter, but this was a common occurrence for the Mains. When Lord Vader wanted more from a rebel sympathizer, he would send just this type of shuttle. As the directors of the Imperial Spy Network, they never knew what befell their victims sent away to him and this was no exception.

They pulled the speeder to the spaceport and Dagmar walked around to the other side to pick Adilla still frame up out of the seat. How can I do this? He did his best to control his emotions and felt them slowly slipping to the surface. He cradled his only child in his arms and began to well-up with tears.

Illyana looked over at him and scowled. "You have really got to stop. We have lost her already and she is just as good as dead. This is nothing we haven't done before."

The Mains walked to the waiting Lambda-class T-4a Imperial shuttle, with Damgar carrying Adilla in his arms. No one in the spaceport even took notice of their sedated daughter. The boarding ramp lowered awaiting their arrival. Two stormtroopers stood on either side of the ramp with E-11 blaster rifles cradled in their arms. The one on their right motioned for them to head up the ramp and into the shuttle.

Dagmar walked cautiously up the ramp with Illyana directly behind him. Two passenger benches had been exchanged for medical table with strapping to keep her secure. Dagmar laid Adilla down and was pushed aside by the two troopers. They fastened her in with the straps, then placed stun cuffs on her wrists. Dagmar paused for a moment, then with Illyana turned to head back down the entry ramp. He quickly glanced into the cockpit and noticed a black hooded figure sitting with his back to him.

When they had made it back to the speeder and out of ear-shot of the stormtroopers and other listening ears, he asked, "Did you happen to notice the figure in black sitting in the cockpit?"

"Yes, I did. I was wondering if you had noticed him."

"He has never been on the shuttles in the past. So, why now?"

"Who knows?"

* * *

The shuttle lifted off on repulsors and was quickly making its way back to the Executor. As it pulled into the secret landing bay that had originally been reserved for the Rogue Shadow, Lord Vader stood waiting.

As the stormtroopers exited the shuttle, they approached the Dark Lord cautiously.

"Shall we give the passenger another dose of sedative."

"No, I shall take care of the girl myself. You are dismissed."

The troopers quickly escorted themselves from the hangar.

Adilla was beginning to come to inside the shuttle. As she regained her senses, she began to cry out not knowing where she was or how she had got there. She tried using the Force to remove the cuffs, but found herself shocked into oblivion every time she attempted it.

When Vader heard the girl shriek, a small grin crept along the Dark Lord's face. Looking at his apprentice he said through his respirator, "Time to meet your new assistant."

The Dark Lord walked up the entry ramp with the secret apprentice following on his heels to where Adilla laid strapped on the medical table. Adilla's eyes went wide with fear. She felt a dark presence and her danger sense ran up her spine. She had no idea that she would come face to face with the very face of evil, Darth Vader.

"You are fearful. That is good. It will guide you along your path to the dark side. Let it feed your power."

"I am a Jedi and have no use for your 'dark side'."

"We shall see about that."

Lord Vader turned to his apprentice and said, "Witness as I crush her memories with the power of the dark side. When I am done, she will no longer be Jedi Adilla Main. She will be Pathogis."

The Secret Apprentice grinned.

Lord Vader stared at Adilla through his mask. Although Adilla could not see his eyes, she felt them burning into her own. Suddenly, her mind and memories began to scramble. Try as she might to resist, she no longer could no longer remember her past. Her head ached as if a lightsaber had been stuffed into her head. The last thing she remembered was Silas and her anger and hurt she felt toward him. She could not remember why she had felt that way.

Lord Vader sensed this in her memory and began to twist reality into his own choosing. He played on the anger and fear toward the Zabrak Jedi and the love she felt for her Master, making her believe that Silas had killed her best teenage friend, Bez. This memory began to take root and Lord Vader could feel the anger growing inside her. He laughed to himself. Finally, the last of her new memories were implanted. Lord Vader had created a whole new past for Pathogis. No longer was she the Padawan of Jedi Knight, Bez Chatok. She had always been an agent of the dark side. Bez Chatok was no longer the mother of Silas in her mind. Bez was his victim, cut down by a Jedi lightsaber.

"Pathogis, your training will now begin with my apprentice. Let the anger you feel for your friend's killer feed your power. My apprentice will teach you all that you need to know to hunt down Silas and seek your revenge."

"I will do as you say, Master."

* * *

As Silas walked out of the shop, he dropped Dallen letting him slide miserably down the wall. Alicia was waiting outside. She had a red travelling cloak wrapped around her.

"So, who are you anyways, mysterious traveller?"

"Just call me Silas."

"Silas?" She frowned. "Not close with your family or something?"

She, then, remembered what she saw in his memories. "Wait...your mother..."

Silas looked at her with remorse in his eyes.

Dallen clutched his swelling, painful jaw. You'll pay for that...both of you. He did his best to cry out for his father, Zeak, who was in the office to his shop. Zeak heard Dallen and knew something was not right. He ran out in the sales area and found Dallen crouched on the floor with blood dripping from his chin. "What is going on here? Did that girl do this to you? No son of mine gets knocked around by a girl."

"It was a Jedi. The Zabrak is a Jedi."

Zeak reached for a comm unit and soon alarms began to sound throughout the spaceport. Stormtroopers seemed to emerge from everywhere.

"Fierfek."

Alicia hissed. "This is your fault, Jedi. Come on." She grabbed his hand, and they ran out a back door of the spaceport with Alicia's red cloak streaming out behind her,

"Where are you going? Do you even where we're headed?"

"I've lived in this spaceport for five years. Course I do. Those stormtroopers are looking for you, though, Dragon-boy, so the front door doesn't work right now. So, shut up and run."

Silas began to run faster, so that he was right next to her.

"How'd you get here? Ship, speeder?"

Reaching out with the Force, Silas scanned the area for any threat in the area. "I came in a speeder."

"Where is it?" she asked. "We have to get there without attracting any stormtrooper attention."

"Leave that to me. They are very weak-minded."

Two stormtroopers appeared out of nowhere.

"Stop, you two!"

Alicia flipped back the hood of her cloak. "It's okay, guys. We're just going for a walk. The alarms just scared us a bit." She gripped Silas's hand a little tighter. " We..." Silas put a hand over her mouth cutting her off mid-sentence.

Silas shot her a look from under his hood. "You never saw us. We are not the ones you're looking for."

The stormtroopers stopped in their tracks, as if they had never seen them. "I just thought I saw them. Those two aren't the ones we are looking for."

"You'll move along now."

"We need to move along." They walked away sullenly scanning the port, but never looking back toward Silas or Alicia.

Alicia blushed, deeply, and elbowed him in the chest, making him remove his hand from her mouth. She put her hood back up. "Fine, then. My story would've worked just fine. You didn't need to do all that Jedi mumbo-jumbo. Don't get cocky, okay?"

Silas remembered his mother's first rule and a small lump tickled his throat. Alicia kept holding his hand, but they walked at a leisurely pace, not drawing attention from the passersby. He tried to avoid thinking that her hand fit perfectly into him.

Silas took a deep breath. "No, they would have taken you straight back to Dallen"

"Stormtroopers don't care about stuff like that. The only person who would care would be the shopkeepers. So, where did you leave your speeder?" she asked, changing the subject.

"On the south side of the spaceport next to the Alders shop; I wasn't planning on picking up a hothead who seems to like elbowing me in the ribs, to be honest."

The traffic outside the spaceport was heavier than when Silas had arrived earlier. Stormtroopers on 74-Z speeder bikes were patrolling the perimeter of the port looking for a Jedi.

"Of course, Marek's gonna have my head for this."

"Who?" Alicia frowned. Her blue eyes darted across the road and out of the city. "This is gonna be difficult, Dragon-boy. Up for a challenge?"

Silas remained quiet and pulled Alicia along hurriedly heading toward cover. He pulled his comm link from inside his cloak and called for PROXY.

"What the heck? Silas, what's wrong?" She wrenched her arm from his grip and pulled her cloak around her. She knew that the red was conspicuous, but it was enough to hide her bright red hair which would stand out more.

"PROXY, I need you to pull the speeder just to the east of your location. We need to get out of here. Oh and by the way, we have a guest."

There was an irritated sound. "Master Marek will not be happy, Master Silas. "You know how Master Marek feels about visitors," came the voice through the commlink. "Master Silas, you will take full responsibility for this. It is against my central programming to disobey Master Marek."

"I get it PROXY. I'll handle it."

"Very well then. I will be there within a mere 10 standard seconds."

"Who's this Marek?" Alicia insisted. "Is he your dad or your jailer?"

Silas seemed lost in thought. His eyes had drifted across the road.

"Silas!" Alicia snapped, wrenching him out of his thoughts.

Silas shot her a look. "I'm thinking and watch it girly. Galen is not one to anger, trust me."

She lifted her eyebrows. "Girly? You have to be kidding me."

Soon, Proxy was pulling the speeder in front of the waiting pair. "Move out of the way, PROXY. I am driving this go round."

Alicia frowned. "Ah...are you sure you..."

"Just shut up and get in."

She glared at him, but did as he said.

"Master Silas, is that within your protocol to speak to a lady in this manner? I should think Master Marek would not be pleased."

"Not helping."

Alicia grinned. "I agree with the droid."

"PROXY, be quiet or I'll flip your power switch right now."

"Well, if you insist," PROXY retorted.

"What has gotten into you, kid? You're fine. Let's just get out of here soon." Alicia sounded like an older sister which made Silas even angrier.

Silas fired up the triple turbine engines and made a dash toward the farmstead. Looking over his shoulder he noticed stormtroopers trailing them.

Alicia sat awkwardly beside Silas. "What if the Stormtroopers try to follow us? The city is probably closed."

"They are, and I can lose them. And by the way, you might want to hang on tight."

"Master Silas, you are not going to try a repeat of my water excursion are you?"

"To what?" she asked, exasperated.

"It took me 3.678 standard hours to clean the speeder to its pristine condition."

"Huh? On second thought don't tell me."

"Very well, Master Silas."

"What now, Jedi?" she asked snarkily.

"This." Silas put the speeder into full power and took off.

Alicia screamed and she gripped his arm. "Are you crazy?"

"Nope, Force sensitive."

It wasn't long before the stormtroopers were specks and then slowly faded from view of the speeder. Silas smiled a toothy grin.

"Master Silas, might I suggest something?"

"Yes PROXY, what is it?"

"I believe it would be in your best interest to alert Master Marek of his pending guest. I would rather not have him fry your servos for arriving unannounced."

"That would be a good idea." Silas dug into his pocket and pulled out his comlink. Quickly Silas dialed in the channel for Galen and called in. "Oh, boy."

"I have been expecting you, Silas. Did you get the compensator we needed?"

"Nope, he didn't," Alicia piped in.

"Fierfek, what was I thinking."

"You weren't, Jedi." She seemed to be enjoying herself way too much.

"Silas, who is it that I am hearing? It sounded like a female voice. Was that PROXY acting up again?"

"Nope. Hey, Old Man! Name's Alicia. We're gonna be bunking together!"

"I assure you, Master Marek, that my central programming is working just fine, since you adjusted it."

"Silas, I am only saying this once. I told you NO VISITORS, EVER."

She shrugged. "Oh, I'm not a visitor. I'm staying for a month."

"Silas..."

"He insisted. Such a little hero, eh, Old Man?"

"You can take this out of my pay. And Alicia do me a favor?"

"Yes?"

"Stop talking."

"I suggest you follow Silas' instructions. I am not one to babysit," came Marek's voice through the commlink.

"I'll keep an eye on her Galen."

"No, I think I'm good. But thanks for the offer, Dragon-boy. And, oh, Galen. How sweet. You call the Old Man by his first name."

"Silas, either get this young loud mouth under control or she will not live to see another moon over Dantooine. Do I make myself clear?"

'Yes sir."

Alicia started to say something else, but Silas's hand went over her mouth. "Shut. Up."

His hand came away from her mouth, but her hand was still clutching his arm. "Before I shut up for good, do you think that we could slow down? Just a little bit..." She frowned slightly, but sighed.

"Thank you," Silas said.

Alicia swallowed. "Silas, please take me back to the port."

"No, I can't. We both know what'll happen if you go back."

"Wanna bet, Dragon-boy? Try me." Her voice was a dare and her blue eyes were hard.

"Alicia, I can sense the possibility if I leave you there."

"Oh? Can you? Well, I can sense you getting smacked in the face by a very angry redhead if you don't."

"I'll figure something out, okay? I just...

"No. Just no. Thanks for the hospitality, but I'll be fine on my own."

"No, you won't."

"Silas, you both are in serious danger." Marek's voice came through the commlink. "There are troopers scouring the city hunting for you both. Let your Force-sense wander back and see for yourself. You know where there are large numbers of troopers, then Darth Vader himself will not be far behind. I suggest you get here as soon as you can. We are much safer together than separate," Marek informed them.

Silas pulled down his hood of his cloak. "See what I mean."

Alicia sighed.

"Let me get out, then..." Alicia shut up as she looked at Silas again, his tattoos standing out to her like works of art against his new-star skin.

Marek drew deeply into the Force and began searching for Silas. It wasn't long before he found what he was looking for. Two sources of white light...equally bright. He delved further into the Force and made his way into Silas' mind.

He saw instantly what had happened at the Alder's shop. He had to grin at seeing the young Alder on the floor. He then moved to the girl Alicia. She tried to resist, but he overcame her will with little effort. What he saw made his skin crawl. A young girl abandoned by her Jedi father, left with the Alders who had beat her into submission. It was too much like his template's experience with Darth Vader. He heard her thoughts. He does it because he loves me... And I love him. He instantly recoiled and withdrew, having a better understanding of his pending visitor.

"So, you think the Alder boy loves you, do you, Alicia? You call that love?" A dark chuckle came through the comm. "If so, I can beat you to a pulp, if that will make you feel better. The Dark Lord himself beat me, burned me and chained me to the floor."

Silas' eyes went wide.

Alicia glared at the comm. "How dare you. How dare you, sir. Get out of my head."

"He didn't love me one bit. In fact, he killed me twice."

"Poor Old Man had a sorry childhood. Never loved. Oh, boo hoo."

"Cool it, hot head," Silas exclaimed.

"Who gave you permission to go into my head? That's mine. My own. Stay out of my thoughts. Understand? Or should I slow it down for your old mind to comprehend?" She was fuming, her cheeks bright red under the freckles.

Silas sat back hoping Galen wouldn't go into his mind again to see that he didn't get the parts required.

"I can go deeper into your mind and twist your thoughts making you fall in love with a rancor, but I won't. You will come to know what real love is. It is only a matter of time and I can assure you, it isn't what that Alder boy has shown you."

Marek immediately went deep into Alicia's mind. This time he opened his own memories for her to view. He knew that she would come to understand him better. She witnessed the physical beatings at the hand of Darth Vader, the lightsaber duels where his flesh was scorched and scarred, the pit where he was kept like an animal, and finally Juno...Juno, the love of his life and the only bright spot in his past and in his present.

Immediately, she shut off the connection. The seal was broken and, hard as he tried, he couldn't get back in. "Look, Dragon-boy. There's another port a bit away from here where you can get your...whatever it was you needed. Drop me off there. I'm not going anywhere where a guy like that has so much access to my mind." She didn't mention the thoughts of Juno that had made a slight pink blush rise out of her collar.

His stubbornness kicked in and Silas headed straight to the farmstead no matter what she said to him.

Alicia stayed silent.

Silas pulled the Speeder into the shed beside the farmstead. A steely eyed and emotionless Galen Marek walked up to the door, dressed in his Jedi uniform with both lightsabers clipped to his sides.

"Both of you get into the farmstead, now. I will handle this. Silas, be ready with your saberstaff if anyone gets through. Do not allow anything to happen to our guest, understand?"

"Yes sir."

Marek extended both arms and his twin lightsabers flew in his standard reverse grip to his waiting palms. With a snap-hiss both sabers burned a bright blue. He spun on his heels and Force ran down the path back toward Garang.

"Blue," Alicia murmured softly. "So, you guys really exist, huh? Jedi, I mean." She seemed as if talking to herself, but her eyes were wide. "I thought... I thought you were just old stories now."

"A saber is a saber. Doesn't really matter what color it is unless it's red."

"Red is evil." She looks around the farmstead, pulling her red cloak tighter around her. She had suddenly become conscious of her cloak and hair. She changed the subject. "So...this is the Marek Place."

"Yep." Silas hopped out of the speeder and used the Force to let his sabers drop into his hands.

She stepped out as well, swallowing. The images that Marek had sent to her were still swirling around in her head, making her unsure of what to say.

"You ok?"

"Fine," she replied instantly.

"You seem disoriented."

"I'm fine," she insisted through clenched teeth. Dallen had always trusted her when she replied with that. Why wouldn't Silas let it go?

"Let's go."

"Where?" she asked.

Silas pointed to the door of the farmstead.

Alicia bit her lip. "I guess, but Silas..."

"What, Alicia?"

"Dragon-boy, I don't have a weapon."

"Yes, you do. His name is Galen Marek."

"You know that's not what I meant. I can fight. I'm not helpless. I'm not a damsel in distress, or whatever it is."

* * *

I knew having others here would be nothing but trouble, Marek thought to himself. It wasn't long before he encountered the first of many stormtroopers. He quickly plunged the sabers deep into the chests of the pair, then sent blaster shots back into another three.

Using the Force, he levitated the bodies and speeders and dropped them into a nearby canyon. Out of sight, out of mind. He crouched behind a blba tree and waited. Three pairs of troopers on speeder bikes came to a stop. Using the Force, Marek twisted their thoughts and made them turn on each other. It wasn't long before the stormtroopers had made easy work for him. He levitated the carnage and again dropped it all into the canyon.

Again, he crouched and waited. He sent his Force sense out far and wide. The troopers had all retreated back to Garang. He rose from his crouch and Force ran back to the Farmstead, hardly breaking a sweat.

Marek used the Force and checked the Farmstead. He found exactly what he had hoped for...two bright glowing white figures and two droids. Everyone was ok. He felt relief wash over him. He walked into the living quarters and found Silas and Alicia crouching behind two form chairs.

"All's clear, you two. I think we need some formal introductions, especially if both of you are going to be staying here any length of time. PROXY, you can come out now...please get our guests something to drink and start some nerf steaks. I am starving."

* * *

The pit constructed aboard the Executor was dark and smelled of the ionic scent of cutting torches and welders. Through slits in her swollen eyes, Pathogis, the young girl who had formerly been called Adilla, began to awaken from her tortuous encounter with Darth Vader. Her head ached and felt as if it would explode at any moment.

Memories of her friend's death came screaming into her mind and suddenly she realized that Bez was gone forever, killed by Silas, a Jedi who had betrayed them both. Before she realized it, she found herself screaming in anguish over the loss she felt. She remembered living with her parents, Dagmar and Illyana Main and that she, Bez, and Silas had virtually grown up together on Iridonia.

Then in a fit of jealousy and rage, Silas had pulled a hidden lightsaber and plunged it through Bez's heart. Overcome with shock and grief, Pathogis had been unable to capture Silas or provide the needed first-aid to her friend. She was paralyzed by her fear.

Standing on a railing above her was a hooded figure. He listened as she cried and raged against the durasteel chains around her wrists. He smirked and pulled the cloak away from his head.

"Yes...good...I sense your intense anger and fear. Let it feed your energy. Feel every bit of that anger wash through you. It will make you more powerful than you can even imagine."

Pathogis looked up and found it hard to make out who was speaking to her. His voice was cold, harsh and arrogant. She did as he said and let the rage she felt wash over her completely. With a thought, the shackles that chained her to the floor fell away. She began to rub her wrists sensing the bruised flesh and began to concentrate on the pain. The dark side of the Force began to rush through her being. With each emotion that she allowed herself to dwell upon, she did in fact become more powerful.

She then began to scale the side of the pit she was in. She finally made it to the edge of the enclosure and using the Force pulled herself upward to stand next to the figure who had spoken to her. Seeing a lightsaber on his belt, she called it to hand and ignited it with a snap-hiss.

"Are you the one who locked me down there?" she hissed.

"Yes, but I wasn't alone. Are you sure you want to do that?"

"Certain." she replied and lunged for him. He was anticipating her attack and with a swift, fluid motion called a second lightsaber to his own hand to parry the strike. He Force shoved her into the far wall and her head hit with a clattering sound. She instantly dropped her lightsaber and fell to the floor gripping the sides of her head with both hands.

"That's it. That is all you have. I have had a harder duel with a training droid. You are weak. Why my Master brought you here is beyond me. Well, back you go." Using the Force to pick her up, he dropped her down once again into the pit. The chains that she had so easily removed flew back onto her wrists and closed with a loud clank.

* * *

Screech puttered around as Silas and Marek talked with the new human. Screech didn't like her much. "Little Red," he tweetled.

From the kitchen PROXY heard the R2 unit tweetle and whistle as it rolled over to him.

"What're you doing, Upright?" Screech had adapted this name for the droid who seemed to feel that he was more human than droid. He enjoyed how much it annoyed him.

"I would suggest you watch what you say Screech that was highly uncalled for."

The R2 gave an unimpressed blurp. "Whatever. Come on, let's leave the humans be."

I'm cooking for Master Marek, Silas and our guest."

"Well... hurry up. Geez... you've gotta learn to live a little."

"I'm moving as fast my servos will allow me and you cannot rush cooking the Nerf steaks. The last time I did Master Marek nearly fried my processing unit after he got sick."

Screech let out another unimpressed sound. He was sick and tired of the goody-goody droid who couldn't take even the smallest joke.

"I'm amazed Master Silas has scrapped you after all of irritation you cause him."

"He loves me. He's just...too...scared to admit it." Screech tried to sound affirming.

Proxy stopped and looked at the droid. "He might admit it if you were more polite to him like I am to Master Marek."

He snorted. "Polite to the kid? Nah."

"Be ready for when he sells you for scrap screech."

The little R2 made a sad sound. "Well then..." He tweetled away.

"I could, help you Screech."

"Not like you want to."

"Actually I would."

Screech was confused. "Don't you hate me?"

"Hating is not a part of my central programming."

Screech gave him an unamused beep. "You know what I mean."

"I'm afraid I'm not processing the meaning of what you are referring to ,the central purpose of my programming is to serve Master Marek and provide for his well-being what is the main function of your central programming, Screech. I've never known an R2 unit who isn't there to serve his Master."

If Screech had eyes, he would've rolled them. "Of course that's my duty. I just... Don't like it."

"I'm not understanding how you're going against your central programming and certainly do not understand what you mean by 'live a little'. I live only to serve."

"I mean...have fun. Crack a joke."

"Again I'm afraid humor is not a part of my central programing nor is it part of Master Marek's as well."

"Well, I think we need to change that." Screech laughed. "Come on, Upright. Finish up those steaks; we're gonna play a joke."

"Might I remind you that Master Marek is very particular about how his nerf steaks are prepared and served. There is no hurrying when it comes to Master Marek's food."

"Well...if he's so picky...why don't we pull the prank on him, then? He's got a bit of a grudge against Vader, right?"

"I should say that he most certainly does. I would say that serving Darth Vader is not a part in Master Marek's central processing."

"Can't you take the shape of certain...beings?" Screech asked.

"Oh, yes I most certainly can. I have taken many forms in the past from Master Marek to Darth Vader."

"How do you suppose your Master Marek would reply to seeing his dear Master Vader once again?"

"I am not quite certain of that. He always seemed quite pleased to speak with his former Master."

Screech laughed. "Oh? Well, why don't we find out?"

"I would be happy to oblige. How shall we proceed?"

"Finish the steaks, serve them. Then, while they're eating, change into Vader and I'll rush in just before you!" Screech felt diabolical.

"Oh, I am sure Master Marek will enjoy that immensely. The steaks are now done. Allow me get them onto a blba platter and we shall have some 'fun', as you so aptly call it.

Screech was impressed by how blunt the droid was and knew that he was going to enjoy this.

PROXY opened a hatch in the kitchen to reveal a stack of wooden serving platters and plates. He grabbed a near-by serving tray and placed the platter of nerf steaks along with all the necessary utensils. Lastly, he placed a pitcher of caf and three cups on the platter and headed to the living quarters. "I shall return shortly. This should only take approx. 5.235 standard minutes."

Screech puttered into the doorway to listen.

PROXY made his rounds serving each of them. He turned to face Marek. "Master Marek, will there be anything else?

"No, PROXY. This is fine."

"I shall be retiring to clean up."

"Very well, PROXY. I am sure our guest would enjoy a dessert after their meal. How about some of those cakes that you made a while back?"

Back in the kitchen, Screech was waiting until he could comprehend the clack and clatter of utensils against the plates.

"Yes!" Screech tweeted.

Alicia narrowed her eyes. "Yes, what, little R2?"

Silas looked at Alicia. "You understand him?"

"Five years living in a spaceport, Dragon-boy. Course I understand him. And he's up to something." She looked back to the doorway, but Screech had disappeared.

Alicia, you are going to have to teach us how to interpret that annoying R2 droid. He has a way of getting under both of our skin."

She nodded slightly. "I guess so. It's not all that difficult, really."

Screech made another impatient sound and Alicia made a fist, not liking the thought of Silas' droid planning something.

"Oh yes Master I would be delighted to retrieve them." With that PROXY retreated towards the kitchen.

"Something wrong Alicia?" Silas asked.

"No," she lied softly. "Nothing. Are we gonna eat? I'm ravenous."

"Finally," Screech muttered. "I don't like how that little Hot Head can understand me."

"I apologize, Screech. Serving them took .467 seconds longer than I expected after Master Marek requested the cakes."

"Finally," Screech muttered. "I don't like how that little Hot Head can understand me."

"Whatever," the littler droid said. "Come on. They're talking. Now's the perfect time."

PROXY took on greater height and his form changed so he appeared to look like the Dark Lord. He picked up a platter of the small cakes and headed to the living quarters.

Screech chortled to himself and sped after Vader to watch the effects of his prank unfold.

The respirator sound could be heard coming from the kitchen before PROXY actually walked into the living quarters. Marek was the first one up, his plate of food flying across the room to connect with the dark Lord's helmet. With his arms extended and fingers splayed, blue hued Force lightning sparks jumped across Marek's finger tips building up a current that eventually arced forward into streak of electric current that caught the Dark Lord in the chest.

Alicia jumped up as the R2 droid came out of the doorway, chortling still, happy with himself. "Sir, stop it!" she screamed.

Silas sprang to his feet ignited his saberstaff and lunged at the Dark lord slicing at his legs, severing them in one strike.

"Marek!" Alicia screamed as the lightning ripped through Vader's body. "It's PROXY, you vengeful idiot! It's your droid!"

Marek ignored Alicia. His eyes literally glazed over at the site of his former Master. His intent was to not allow Darth Vader another opportunity to escape. A smirk spread across his face. "You won't get away this time. There's no Kota to stop me."

"Stop! It's not actually him, you idiots!" She ran in front of Silas, her eyes wide in fear, though her face was set in anger. "You'll hurt him."

Silas looked at the "Dark Lord" and saw his image flicker and he realized it was PROXY. "Galen, she's right it's only PROXY."

Alicia wobbled backwards, her bright blue eyes brimming with frightened tears. She'd heard what Marek had said. She'd seen what he could do. "What are you?" she whispered, backing herself against the wall.

Marek looked over at the frightened young lady and overheard her question. Who are you? Juno's last words to him rang in his ears, 'You are angry with everyone...when in actuality you are really angry with yourself.'

Marek in response immediately cut off the Force lightning and ran to his droid's aid. "PROXY, what has gotten into to you? Are you experiencing issues with your central processor again? I haven't seen you change without warning in a long time?"

"Screech and I had devised a plan to play a joke, Master."

Silas extinguished his saber and disconnected them and placed them onto his forearm clips. His redheaded companion was watching his employer with the wary look of a cornered animal. He supposed that's how she felt.

Alicia bit her lip to keep from yelling again, a confused and frightened sob rising in her throat and shaking her. It wasn't her that was weak; it was the fear, pulling her to the dark. She had to trust these men, but she wasn't so sure she wanted to anymore.

Silas turned to Alicia and could see the fear in her eyes. The way she was looking at him was the same way Adilla had looked at him right before she'd bolted from his home forever ago. He could see her breathing hard, swallowing the lump in her throat. Her eyes flashed to the blades in his hands, then back to his eyes, fearful and cold and untrusting.

"I was just trying to help protect you."

"I don't need...want protecting from a monster. A blood-thirsty, vengeful monster who only cares about killing the person who destroyed him instead of finding something...and holding onto that light he's found." Silas knew in a heartbeat it wasn't him she was scared of, but Marek.

Silas made an impatient sound.

"Take me back, Silas." Alicia's voice was quiet, but dark. "I want no part with a man who moves without thinking. And I'd rather drink water than blood." She walked out of the room, away from the man.

Angry beyond all comprehension, Marek exploded.

"Silas, that R2 is nothing but trouble. We just effectively severed PROXY at the waist. Screech, with your assistance, will repair PROXY to pristine condition, or I will fry that droid until his optical sensor explodes. I suggest you both get started immediately. PROXY's central core and engineering design are quite sensitive and complicated. Believe me, I should know. I have repaired him countless times."

Marek turned on his heels and headed for the farmstead door, leaving Silas, Screech, and the severed PROXY alone in the room.

There was a small cough. Alicia, wrapped in her bright red travelling cloak, was standing in the doorway. "I'm ready to go."

Silas turned toward her. "Alicia, this was all my fault. Screech is my droid whether I want him or not. He caused this and I have to fix it. We will discuss this later. Right now, I have to get PROXY back together and figure out a way to keep Screech under control and out of trouble."

"He just needs a talking to. Ignoring him doesn't help. And don't you dare talk to me like a child. I'm two of you. And I'll be waiting." She disappeared again into the corridor.

"Alicia...wait..." She was gone. Why does this always happen to me? Seems every female friend I have runs off at the first sign of trouble. I am just lousy when it comes to girls.

Screech tweetled something that Silas assumed went along the lines of, "That could have gone better." He didn't have his data pad, so he wasn't quite sure.

Silas gave Screech an evil eye and through gritted teeth said, "Come on, you bucket of bolts. You have your work cut out for you tonight. I will have a lightsaber ready and tap your dome every so often if I see you slacking in any way. You will repair PROXY and you will never do that again. If you do, I will rip you apart myself and scatter your parts all over Dantooine. Got that?"

The droid beeped, puttered slowly towards the carnage of what was left of PROXY and began to repair his friend.

Silas stood by overseeing the reconstruction. Galen was right about PROXY's engineering. He was extremely complicated, but watching the repairs only added to Silas' skills. He began to have a better understanding of how PROXY worked. What was a disaster turned out to be quite useful in the long run._ Galen, you won't ever have to repair PROXY again. I promise you that._

Alicia sat with her back resting against the wall, her legs pulled up to her chest. She pulled cloak tighter around her. She could hear the soft tweedles of Screech cursing Silas as he worked and the clink of metal parts.

* * *

Marek's Force run end in his usual place when he became angry. The exact spot he had last spoke with Juno on Dantooine that was now filled with ready for harvest kilba greens. He dropped to his knees and in his typical fashion drew in a deep breath and began a deep meditation. Not long into it, a vision began to form that was his worst nightmare. He was lying wounded on the on a hard, cold stone floor of a cave. He suddenly became not a spectator to the vision but a participant. He became the wounded Marek. He turned his head to the right and saw Silas and Alicia lying motionless in a pool of their own blood. He heart tore and his gut wretched. I couldn't save them. Then he heard her voice...Juno...He could tell she was in incredible pain. A shrill high-pitched laugh came from the same direction, yet it wasn't Juno's. _Whose was it?_

Then the same voice spoke, "Now, this is gonna be fun. Do I kill you now or wait?"

Marek tried with all he had to push himself to get up, but it was no use. His legs had been severed at the knees. He heard a dark, low-pitched laugh.

"I thought I might just kill you to put you out of your misery, but it is better to watch you bleed out...at least for me anyway."

Try as he might, he could never see who had said that to him. He seemed to be just out of his field of vision. It isn't Vader. Who is it?

Suddenly the vision changed. Instead of a stone cave, he was in his farmstead and he heard laughing voices. Two voices to be exact. It was Silas and Alicia.

A familiar figure stood observing the action. He adjusted and found that it was himself. He wasn't sure why he was there, but enjoyed watching the action between the two of them.

Silas lunged at her and, slowly, clumsily, she darted out of the way. He was laughing, too. "Alicia, you can't do that!" he insisted, breathlessly.

"Says who?" she replied. "I want to see the rules of the game!" She laughed and poked him in the back with her staff again, pushing him forward, just enough to get him off-balance.

Silas rolled his eyes, but looked back at her and grinned. He rushed to the corner of the makeshift training room and grabbed another one of the practice staffs. Now, they were even.

They circled each other in the middle of the room. Each of their mouths turned up in a smirk, thinking that they would get the other. And, thinking exactly the same, they both lunged at the same time. Their staffs collided in a loud crack and they both were sent flying onto their backs.

"Oof!" came the sound as both had the wind knocked out of them. Then, the cacophonous laughter began again.

"That was awesome!" Alicia said, sitting up. Her hair was mussed up and her pale, freckled cheeks were flushed with excitement. Her blue eyes were sparkling.

Silas sat up as well, grinning. "I'll say!"

"You are both evenly matched. That is why you will both find yourselves receiving death blows. Alicia, your smaller frame can be used to your advantage. I want you to look at Silas and size him up. What do you see?" Marek asked.

Alicia blushed slightly, but did as he said. "He's taller than me. Wider. Why, Master?" She pulled her knees to her chest, watching him intently. Was she actually listening to him?

"With size comes strength, but it also means less speed. Sure he has the Force, but so do you. What does that mean to you?"

She thought for a moment. "Um... Well, it means that if he tries to enhance his abilities through the Force, I can counter him?" She seemed unsure and blushed again.

"How will you do that?"

Marek saw her look at Silas for an answer. "I'm not sure, Master."

"Alicia, you must be sure of every move you make. Your doubt will be the end of you. Let the Force guide you."

She frowned again, a small crease between her eyebrows. "Well, I suppose that I would have to use my speed and agility enhanced by the Force to my advantage, against Silas. If I kept skirting just out of his reach, he would eventually wear himself down. Then, I will have the upper hand even though I'm smaller." She looked up at Marek for approval.

"You are correct, Alicia. Trust in yourself. You don't have anyone else to lean on when you are facing an opponent." Marek walked over to her. She stood instantly. He wasn't that much taller than she. "Another thing with Silas' size, don't square your shoulders to him. You give him a bigger target." He took her shoulders and gently rotated her torso. "You are right-handed. Turn your left shoulder to Silas. This allows for you to parry and move while at the same time cut his legs from under him. Allow me to demonstrate. Silas step back and come at me with everything you have. Got that?"

"Yes, Master." Silas knew what was coming and wanted to impress them both, but that wasn't going to happen.

Alicia took a small step back, allowing her Master onto the training floor and she stepped off so the two men could fight. She gave Silas a small, encouraging smile.

Marek took a single training staff in one hand holding it in his usual reversed grip. He adjusted himself turning his left shoulder toward Silas. "Ready when you are."

Silas came at Marek with both training staffs spinning. He swept with his right hand staff first, which Marek easily bent backward to avoid and swept at Silas' back. He connected with a loud thwack. Silas countered with his left hand staff sweeping at Marek' knees. Marek jumped using the Force and with his downward fall swept at Silas' knees then back to Silas' cheek connecting with both hits. Silas fell backward with a thud.

"That is what I meant, Alicia. Size up your opponent. Anticipate his every move. The Force will guide you. Take advantage of his weaknesses by taking advantage of your strengths."

Silas lay on the floor embarrassed that he allowed himself to be taken down with such ease. Galen walked over and stared him in the eyes. "You best watch yourself with that one there. Give her time and she will have you flat on your back with whelps all over that Zabrak hide of yours."

Alicia bent forward slightly, trying to hear what they were saying. "Thank you, Master," she piped up.

Marek nodded. "I will leave it to you both now. Silas, we still have work to do. Unit 5 is down...again."

He watched as Alicia walked over and held out a hand to Silas. He took it, but, with a toothy grin, pulled her down. She let out a little yell as she collapsed next to him. She glared at him.

"Really?"

"Just following Master Marek's instructions. Take advantage of your weaknesses by taking advantage of my strengths." His smile widened and he began to chuckle.

Alicia tried to keep the glare on her face, but after a moment, she couldn't help it anymore and she grinned, laughing, too. "You're a child, Silas." She didn't sound angry, though.

With this, the vision ended abruptly. Galen shook his head trying to make sense of what he had just witnessed. It made no sense to him. Each part of the vision contradicted the other in his mind. How could I see myself dying on the floor of a cave with Silas and Alicia both dead, then see myself alive and Silas and Alicia dueling...and friendly at that. How can I make sense of it? He stood considering his own questions, lost in his own thoughts.

At once, it came to him. The one person who would know about Force visions was Rahm Kota. Getting in contact with Kota was not something Marek looked forward to. General Kota had tried over the course of his time on Dantooine to persuade him to join his Elite Task Force. Galen wanted no part in his operation. His only concern was for the safety and welfare of Juno. Kota had finally given up and moved on. Now, he would have to re-establish contact and endure Kota once again.

The only good thing about contacting Kota was that he would have to contact the only source he had that would know Rahm Kota's whereabouts...Juno. He made his way to the secret cave that housed the Rogue Shadow, entered and boarded. Sitting in the pilot seat, he dialed in the secret frequency that would hail Juno. He sat waiting for the reply. He continued to mull over the vision. He still had no idea what it meant. Then the voice came from the comm unit.

"Well, hello farmer."

"Hi Lunar. I have missed you."

"I've missed you too. I have thought about you quite a bit since we last saw one another. Did you figure out who the hooded youngster was?"

"Yeah, I have. That is a long story. I almost killed him. He is a Zabrak Jedi that is actually living and working for me."

"You have to be kidding. You have someone besides PROXY living under your roof?"

"Well, actually I have two someones living under my roof at present."

"What?"

"Long story...a young lady named Alicia. She is a Force sensitive and doesn't seem to know it. I think she has the potential to be powerful, if she will allow it."

"I just can't believe you have anyone living with you. It is just so...so...not you..."

"I know, I know...but that isn't why I contacted you."

"Ok...and?"

"I need to get in contact with Kota."

"What? Are you feeling alright?"

"Yes Lunar, I am. I had another vision and need his help to make sense of it."

"Care to elaborate?"

"No..I don't. No offense, Lunar. Until I have spoken with Kota, I'd rather not discuss it with you. I just don't understand it at all."

"Ok farmer, I will trust you on this one.

"Can you arrange it?"

"Shall I have him contact you on the old frequency?"

"Yes, that would be good. I need to speak with him as soon as possible."

"I will contact him immediately. Stand by, farmer."

"Hey Lunar..."

"Yes, farmer?"

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

The transmission ended and Marek put his head in his hands, angry at himself. Why can't I bring myself to tell her that I love her? Kota's comm transmission broke his thoughts.

"Hey there, boy. You finally decide to join me?"

"No, Kota. I just need some of your experience with a vision that I had."

"Is that all, boy. You sent word to me for that?"

"Yes, I did and for good reason."

"Well, get on with it. You are holding up my troops."

"I have had two distinct visions that contradict one another. One has me dying. The other has me alive. In the first, two young kids die and in the second both kids are living. What would this mean?"

"The Force is trying to get your attention, boy."

"Well, it has it."

"What I can tell you about Force visions is this. The future is always in flux. If you make certain choices, one of those scenes can play itself out. If you make a different choice, then the opposite is true."

"So, the outcome is up to me?"

"That is what I just said, boy. So, what choices are you faced with?"

"Right now, I am not certain, but I will say that I will not have the first vision play out. You can be sure of that."

"Is that all then, boy?"

"Yeah...it is."

"I don't guess that the choice you need to make concerns joining my Elite..."

Marek cut him off. "No, Kota. It doesn't. I have no desire to get mixed up in your war. I have my own concerns."

"Yeah, right. Just like always. One of these days, you will come around. The Alliance needs you."

"No, they don't and I certainly don't need them. I'm done talking about this, Kota."

"Alright, boy. If you say so. If you are sure that is all, then I must go. Can't keep my troops waiting. "

"Yes Kota. Thanks for your help."

"May the Force be with you, boy."

"And with you as well."

The transmission ended and Marek felt an urgency to get back to the farmstead and to his employee and his guest. He shut down the comm unit and once again closed the Rogue Shadow, leaving no trace that there was a cave entrance Force running back to the Farmstead.

As Marek neared the farmstead, he could hear the argument without the use of his Force abilities. "Bantha fodder, I guess I should have gotten here sooner."

From inside, Silas could be heard going on rant of why Alicia couldn't leave.

On the other side, Alicia was screaming at him about why she had to. "I can't be stuck in a house with a madman! I refuse! Take me back. Dallen wouldn't...won't hurt me." Even to herself, she didn't sound all sure.

"First off, he hasn't even shown any signs of being psychopathic. And, second, you call him striking you isn't doing you harm?"

"He loves me," she insisted. "He protects me! We're going to get married and have a beautiful life..."

"He's taking advantage of you Alicia!"

"Better him than a madman with an age-old grudge against daddy!" Her face was bright red and she was shaking with fury. "At least his handsome face will be happy to see me instead of that...thing attached to your neck!"

"Don't you mock my Zabrak heritage! And, I'd say he's cruel and calculative not handsome."

"More so than you, Dragon-boy." She looked at him, angrily. "That smile is warmer than yours will ever be. You and your precious Galen have a bloodlust that cannot be quenched."

"Okay, if I'm so cruel tell me one time that i tried to purposely harm you."

"You stole me from my home! My fiancé for crying out loud!"

"No, you agreed to come with me. I gave you a choice to stay or come with me."

"I didn't know you were a freaking psychopath!"

"Force sensitive and completely sane, actually. If you were me and been through what I've experienced, you would have done exactly what I did."

She swallowed, still furious. "Just so long as he's still there when I get back. You promised you wouldn't hurt him."

Silas paused as she said this.

She frowned and started shaking again. "You promised you wouldn't hurt him." Her voice was dark, waiting to see his reaction.

"Blast."

In a second, she was up to his face, about a head shorter, but still intimidating. "You had better not have broken that promise, or so help me..."

"All I did was knock a few teeth out."

She started shaking again, making herself take a step back. "That's all? Nothing else. If I find you're lying..."  
"I promise that's all I did."

"Well, for some reason, I don't really trust you on your promises, Dragon-boy." She crossed her arms. "I guess I know who sent those stormtroopers now." She waited for a moment, but, then, she took a step back from him again. "There had to be a worse reason. Especially if you they knew you were a Jedi.

"That's probably why."

"I trusted you! You idiot! He's my fiancé!" She had to physically hold herself back from lunging at him. "I love him, don't you understand that?" She held up her left hand. "You saw the memory! We're going to get married. See that? The ring? I'm his, he's mine."

"He doesn't show much love, though."

"And you would?" She started to twist the ring around her finger. A worry.

"Yes I would."

She willed back her blush. "Yeah? Well, I still don't trust you." She gave him a disgusted look. "And I'll go back myself. Goodbye, Dragon-boy." With a whip of her red travelling cloak, she started towards the door.

Marek had heard enough. He knew that if he didn't intervene that the two of them would kill one another and save the bounty hunters the trouble. Using the Force, he opened the front door of the farmstead and made himself small so as not to be detected. It wasn't his manner to sneak up on those who he was not out to kill. Well, Galen Marek this is quite a change for you. I guess now is as good a time as any.

"Ok, you two. You both need to calm down before someone gets hurt. Not to mention that I'd rather that neither of you decide to destroy my home."

He bumped right into a very angry and hurt-looking Alicia, who immediately jumped back from him as if she was burned.

"I won't bite, Alicia."

"Yeah? How about zap me without a second thought?"

"Alicia, I thought he was Darth Vader. Even Silas believed that to be the case. Do you have any idea who Vader is and what he is capable of?"

"Look, I know you have Daddy issues, but I would rather get out of here from the untrustworthy yellow thing and the vengeful idiot holding onto childish grudges!" She brushed past him.

"Daddy issues? What would you know about my father? And by the way, you have 'daddy issues'? Darth Vader was not my father. He murdered my father. Just as he has tried to murder your's, if he hasn't already."

"Don't you dare bring my father into this..."

"I am not bringing anything into this that you are not bringing yourself. Darth Vader will stop at nothing to end your life. You are capable of more than you know, Alicia. I am trying to help you."

"Look, get rid of that uncontainable bloodlust and teach your boy here how to tell the truth and I'll stay." She shot a dark look to Silas behind her. "Hear that, Dragon-boy?"

"Yes I did."

"Really? Or are you lying to me." Without a thought, ashamed at being treated like a kid, Alicia did something more impulsive than usual. Still glaring at Silas ahead of her, she focused on a small patch of pale yellow skin, just above his eye. He was a monster. No longer beautiful. She pulled the heavy-stoned ring off her finger and hurled it at him.

Silas barely flinched as the ring slammed to his forehead. "Really?"

Alicia said nothing, only smirked as a small mark appeared, dripping blood into his eye. "Oops," she murmured. "That'll leave a mark."

"Obviously."

Using the Force to emphasize his point, Marek brought an end to the shouting. He clamped both of their mouths shut.

"That is enough from both of you. You both need to grow up, wake up and smell the caff! You can keep fighting like this and end up hurting one another worse than you already have or something worse will happen. But that is not what the Force has shown me. While I was away, I had a vision of the future or at least a possible future. I know what I am supposed to do, but I need your cooperation. Both of your lives are at stake."

She glared at the man.

"If I release your mouths, do you both promise to keep quiet?"

Alicia shook her head, defiantly.

"Silas? How about you?"

Silas nodded.

"Very well, then" Marek released his Force grip on their mouths, reluctantly.

Alicia smirked again. "Shouldn't trust him, Galen. He's probably lying. He tends to break promises, you see."

Alicia's comment shot a blaster bolt through Silas' heart._ Adilla...I promised her that dad and I would return for her._ He pushed these thoughts aside, not wanting Galen to sense his regret over his broken promise to Adilla.

Galen Forced gripped Alicia's mouth again.

"Seems you are the one who is breaking promises, Alicia."

She looked at him, incredulously. She shook her head, hard.

"I will ask again, will you keep your mouth shut? Otherwise, you will never utter another word."

Alicia sighed, audibly. But, then, she nodded.

"I must have your cooperation. Without it, we are all in danger. More danger than either of you have ever experienced. Alicia, you are the one who is not believing what I am saying. I sense it through the Force. You are more than Force sensitive. You have power beyond what you can imagine. You need understand how to use that power to its fullest extent. Silas has sensed that in you, as well as I. You don't believe it. I actually knew your father. He was a strong Jedi.."

She shook her head. No, she was saying. He was not a Jedi.

"Yes, he was. I was just about to be sent to track and kill him for Darth Vader. At least before I fled. That is what I did. I am not proud of my past, but that is my past. He was trying to protect you."

She snorted. Fat lot of good that did, she was saying. She sighed and made a zipping gesture with her hands on her lips.

"Obviously, you need some convincing, Alicia."

Galen opened himself up to the Force and searched out Alicia and Silas both. Finding them, he allowed his vision to be seen by them. He withheld the first vision not even allowing it to be considered much less be planted in anyone's mind, as if he could will it out of existence.

They saw themselves laughing together, dueling one another and Marek stepping into the room and teaching them...training them.

Alicia was confused by the image of herself she saw in the vision, giggling and giddy. With Silas. She noticed the way she blushed as Silas pulled her down. He had that toothy grin on his face. The two of them seemed like the best of friends. How?

"If we are to survive, then we must survive together. It is the will of the Force that I guide you. It is not something that I chose to do."

Alicia opened her eyes. She looked at him, wanting to say something, but her lips were still gripped shut.

"Looks like you have learned your first lesson, Alicia. Your mouth will be the end of you. Especially if Silas or I are not there to rescue you. Your first order of business is something I call respect." With that, Marek released Alicia's mouth.

"I expect no more mouthy or snide comments. Understand?"

She nodded. "Yes." Suddenly Alicia seemed out of place, awkward. She couldn't meet Silas' eyes, even though he hadn't seen it.

"Now, Silas...You are not out of the clear yourself. What about this lying?"

"I haven't lied."

"That isn't what I sense from you."

Silas sighed. "While in Garang in the Alder's shop, I pinned Dallen to the wall."

"And?"

"He had promised me he wouldn't hurt Dallen at all," Alicia piped in.

"So did you hurt the boy?"

"I knocked a few teeth out."

"Good for you. There has always been something about that boy that I haven't liked, but you did in fact break a promise. Let me say this. A Jedi is only good as his word. If you are to be trusted and respected, you say what you do and do what you say. Understood? If this happens again, you will regret it."

"Yes sir, I understand." Once again, Silas felt the pang of regret for his friend left behind on Iridonia.

"By the way, that is Master...respect, remember?"

Alicia looked at her feet. She saw a gleam on the floor. Her ring. She bent down and picked it up, slipping it in her pocket, ashamed. Silas still had the drips of blood on his forehead. "And, with all due respect...Master...Silas, you should probably clean up that cut. I don't want it infected. Bacta, somewhere?"

"Pain is an excellent teacher. Silas, you can learn much from it."

"Master, I don't think so. It hurts too much. He's...he's a kid."

"Let it be for a while...there is bacta in the refresher. The Jedi teach that one should not allow hurt, fear, or any such negative emotion to take root in the mind and heart. I am neither Sith nor Jedi. I was trained in the Dark Side and learned from Kota some of the Jedi ways. I use all emotions to draw upon for power."

"Excuse me, but Master, I don't even feel the wound."

"Well then, Alicia go and grab the bacta. It seems that Silas is now ready for it."

She hung her head and nodded. "Yes, Master." It seemed to be familiar, the way her eyes focused only on the floor beneath her, her hair covered her neck, just so, her face turned away. She walked away into the kitchen and got the bacta out of the refresher. She came back and handed it to Silas.

"I don't know about you two, but I am turning in. It has been a long day and I have much to consider about what should be our next move. Alicia, you must decide what you are going to do. There won't be any turning back once you have begun to follow the Force. I am not going to make you stay, nor will I ask you to leave. It is your choice. Make it and stick with it."

She swallowed hard. In her hand, she still held her ring. She was so confused. A while ago, Dallen would've seemed the safer choice. But, now? She wasn't so sure. "I'm not sure," she admitted softly.

"Sleep on it then, but I expect an answer tomorrow. Understood?"

She nodded and turned her eyes down. "I understand."

Marek turned without another word and headed for his room. He was glad to have that over with, but also unsure how this would work itself out.

"Excuse me? Erm, Master? Where..." Alicia paused. "Where am I to sleep?"

"There is a room upstairs. Make yourself at home," Marek said over his shoulder.

Silas returned to Screech who was in the process of removing the fried circuitry on PROXY. He stood over Screech carefully examining PROXY's internal circuits. It did not take long for Silas to see exactly how PROXY was able to simulate Force abilities. He continued to study and think, when he was struck with an idea. He closed his eyes and imagined himself making his idea a reality. He had always had the ability to shut his eyes and close himself off from everything around him where he could then perform a task and see if the idea would work. Usually he could make essential design adjustments that proved successful when he was actually building what he imagined.

He looked over at Screech, "I have an errand to run. Keep working on those burnt circuits, but stop when you finish. I have something I want to add to PROXY before we put him back together completely. Screech tweetled and continued to work. Thank you, Thoran for all those extra parts that you left for me on the Redemption.

* * *

Marek woke up early the next morning. He was still a little upset from the previous evening's events. PROXY had come to mean much to him. They had been through quite a bit together. Just knowing that PROXY would not be in the kitchen awaiting his arrival for the morning sent a small jolt through his heart. I smell caff. Silas must already be up and working on unit 5.

He groggily made his way to the kitchen. As he rounded the corner, his eyes went wide in surprise.

"Good morning Master Galen. I have caff already brewed for you. Breakfast is cooked, as well. Allow me to get your plate from the nanowave stove."

Galen was almost speechless as he watched PROXY's fluid motions. He was agile before but now...he was almost human. The whir of servos that used to be heard when PROXY moved were no longer audible. Looking at PROXY's photoreceptors, he noticed that they were no longer the yellow color they had been, but were now a blue hue.

"Thank you, PROXY. I am really glad to see you up and moving."

"You are very welcome, Master Galen. It is my primary programming to see to your well-being. I must say that Master Silas and Screech did a superb job with my repairs. Master Silas made some improvements that I think you will find to your liking. He replaced my servos with an updated type. I am unfamiliar with the brand name. It took me approximately 5.234 standard seconds to get used to my new speed and the lack of sound that my older servos made."

"You don't say. I will have to thank him when I see him."

"Oh Master Galen, that is by no means all the improvements that he made. I have a new automatic shutdown that I can initiate if Screech is a danger to anyone. I was given updated photoreceptors that not only give me greater clarity, but also provide me with infrared vision when needed. And last, but certainly not least, I was given a new power core and insulation which now make me quite immune to electrical discharge or as you call it 'Force lightning'. All in all, I would have to say that I have never been better."

"Hmm...he did all that? Where did he get the parts? It was too late to get anything from Garang. The shops were all closed and he doesn't have the creds for all of them either."

"Master Marek, I must say that I have no idea concerning how Master Silas attained the parts or where the creds came from in order to purchase said items. You will have to gather that information from Master Silas yourself."

"I will do just that, Proxy. Where is the boy this morning?"

"He was in quite a hurry. After breakfast, he said he was headed out to check on unit 5. He said that you had told him that it was in need of repair. If his repairs of me are any indication, I believe that you will find unit 5 working better than it ever has."

Galen sat staring at the plate of Dantooine flapjacks on the table. His mind raced as he thought about Silas and Alicia. What in the name of all things Jedi have I gotten myself into? I'm not cut out for this. Two teenagers...Really? He recalled his years with Darth Vader the only father figure he knew or could remember. The time he spent with him growing up did nothing for him, both his template and himself.

Alicia walked in a few minutes later, rubbing her eyes tiredly. "Morning, PROXY. Glad to see you're all better."

"Good morning, Mistress Alicia. I am much better, I must say. Master Silas and his partner, Screech did a masterful job repairing me. I even have upgrades and received an oil bath. I haven't had one of those in years."

She smiled warmly. "Glad to hear it. What've you got for sustenance?" She was pointedly avoiding Marek.

"Oh, I have taken liberties of preparing Master Galen's favorite: Dantooine flapjacks. I am sure that you will love them. Master Silas almost swallowed a stack of six in one bite. Well, actually 1.3335 bites."

Alicia laughed. "Is that so? Well, I definitely have to try them!"

"I shall be happy to serve you, Mistress Alicia. Have a seat and I will get your plate ready. Would you care for a cup of caff, as well?"

"That would be fabulous. Thank you, PROXY." She sat awkwardly at the table, avoiding Galen still.

Galen looked up as he was pulled from his trance-like thoughts by the mention of his name and watched the exchange between his only friend and droid, PROXY, and Alicia. He was at a loss on what to say to her after all that had occurred the previous night.

"Sleep well, Master?" she asked softly.

"Not as well as I wanted. How about you, 'Mistress Alicia'? He chuckled softly at his own comment.

She blushed. "Well enough for being in a strange place."

"I assume you have an answer for me?"

"Oh, right, about training." She swallowed and drummed her fingers on the blba wood table. "Um, well... After lots of thinking, I suppose that Silas did the right thing in taking me away from Dallen. So, I guess I will stay." She smiled warmly, setting something on the table and putting her hands in her lap.

The black stone of Dallen's ring sparkled in the light. She wasn't wearing it anymore.

"You aren't wearing the stun cuff, eh? I believe you are making the right choice. The Force led you here. I have seen as much in my vision. This 'strange place' will become very familiar soon enough. It did for me. I had never farmed prior to coming here. In fact, I had really never done anything other than follow orders...death orders."

"I completely understand, Sir. And, no, I'm not wearing the 'stun cuff' as you called it. Well, not anymore, Master. It binds me to him. I cannot be bound to him if I am to become a Jedi." She smiled a little again. "And, I was thinking that maybe the reason we had such a hard time getting along yesterday is because we're so similar. Maybe we just have to call a truce?"

"I would say you are correct. When you and Silas were on your way here, I saw things in your memories through the Force. Things I would never tell Silas or anyone for that matter. I will tell you that I could sense a sadness deep within you. Your memories haunt you the way mine do me."

"You didn't see Silvia, did you?" she asked, matter-of-factly. "Silas hit a sore spot when we were sharing our minds back at the port. My only good memory of her, tucked away."

"No Alicia, I must say I did not. I only saw where you were left at the Alder's shop forward. It was enough for me to know who you were."

She nodded. "I have to ask, though, if you knew my father, you knew Silvia also?"

"Alicia, he was a target...a future kill. The way it worked was like this. Darth Vader would come to me with a name and a planet. PROXY over there would go into his extensive memory banks and transform into the image of "my kill." It was that simple. I had a pilot..." Galen couldn't even say her name. He swallowed hard and stared at the plate in front of him.

"Juno," Alicia commented softly. "I saw her in what you showed me. She's beautiful."

"Yes, she is. My template loved her and I was passed that love for her through the cloning process. She is the reason that I am here and not Darth Vader's apprentice. But, that is another story for another time."

Alicia nodded. "Your saving grace of sorts." PROXY came and set her plate of flapjacks and caff in front of her. She smiled. "Thank you, PROXY." She looked at Marek again. "I'm glad that you didn't kill my father, Sir."

"You are quite welcome, Mistress Alicia."

"Me too, Alicia, me too. Well, I need to go check on your friend, Silas. He made updates to PROXY with parts that I have no idea how he paid for and he is working on unit 5. We have had nothing but trouble from that heap of an agribot."

She laughed again. "I know the feeling. The Alders had some equipment like that. Zeak spent at least three days a week fixing it. Always. And, may I come join you when I'm finished with breakfast?"

"That sounds good...I am sure Silas will need a hand with unit 5 and he might want to see you, too."

She lifted an eyebrow, but smiled. "I could help. I'm pretty good with moving parts. It's people that are the problem."

"I know the feeling. See you out in the west pasture." Galen stood up and stretched and then turned to leave. Although Alicia was staying, his mind was still uneasy with exactly what he was doing. He knew who he needed...Juno. She always knew just the right thing for these types of situations. He smiled as he walked out the door. "Juno"

Alicia sat at the table, eating quietly. Dallen's ring stared at her, beady-eyed, but, for once, it was easy to ignore it. She felt a huge weight lifted off her shoulders. She wasn't quite all the way to happy, but content.


End file.
